Iron Will
by AstroKender
Summary: The Straw Hat Pirates find themselves divided on an island of rock and oil. They soon have to fight for their own survival. For some of the crew this adventure could bring them closer than ever. But for others, it could tear them completely apart.
1. Chapter 1

**_Iron Will_**  
By _AstroKender_  
_Fandom:_ One Piece  
_Pairings_: Okay, this was going to be a gen fic and then my obsessive-compulsive half took over. Fair ye warned that their be shonen ai ahead (but only a bit, I'm an action writer first and foremost)  
_Warnings_: Rated T for violence, blood and possibly language: None of which you will see at the moment.  
_Timeline_: Hmm… I would place this at just after the Rainbow Mist filler and right before the encounter with Bellamy.  
_Spoilers_: I'm sure everybody knows by now that Nico Robin becomes a member of the Straw Hat Crew. If not… oops.  
_Notes_: First things first. No, this is not the side fic I promised everyone. Instead, this is an entirely new arc that _could_ be considered as a sequel to **_Loyalties_**. But seeing as I don't want everyone to have to go read my other fic just to know what's going on, any mentions of that story "arc" will be brief at most. Expect multiple chapters here of an undetermined length and amount. I shouldn't even be posting this yet as some of you are still waiting for me to get off my ass and finish that kkm fic. (_Patience_, precious) As always your feedback is appreciated and cherished and used to warm the cold hardened lump that is my heart. But, hey, enough holding you up… 

Onward to the Fic!

Chapter **_One_**:

Taking one look at the imposing island spread out before them, the Straw Hat Crew wanted nothing more than to turn tail and head full sail in the opposite direction. Even the most fearless of pirates would quell at the dark chunk of rock that broke the horizon. Yes indeed, that first look was more than enough to make each of them wish they were currently anywhere but where they now stood. But, it was to their misfortune that such an act wasn't possible, unless they fancied getting lost in the vast spread of the Grand Line. The Log Pose had decided their fate, and the small band of pirates had no choice but to sail forward. Not that the group was happy about this.

_Well_, perhaps one was.

"_Wow_! Look at all that smoke!" Luffy exclaimed through a grin that stretched the breadth of his face. The ship's captain bounced up and down on his customary perch atop the ram-shaped figurehead of the Going Merry. "Do you think the island is on fire?" Bright questioning eyes turned readily to his money-loving navigator for answers.

"I don't think so…" The Nami said slowly, staring at the island with apprehensive eyes. "It doesn't look like there's anything to burn on the island to burn. Look, there aren't even any trees."

"It looks like most of it is coming from the huge tower." Sanji indicated --with the tip of his cigarette—towards the towering structure that the companions first thought to be a mountain. Leaning nonchalantly against the rail, the blond blew out a cloud of wispy smoke, unconsciously mimicking the surrounding scenery.

"Ooh! Is the _tower_ on fire?" Luffy asked excitedly, more intrigued than ever.

"I don't know, Luffy!" Nami snapped as she rubbed at her temple. The redhead felt jittery with pent up frustration and more than a fair share of fear. "I…don't know anything about this island…. Buggy's map doesn't even give it a name." Nami stared down at the waves as they broke across the ship's stem with a troubled expression.

Sanji eyeballed the dark clouds above them before lowering his gaze back to the island. "How long do we have to stay here, I wonder?" the cook muttered. Once again, their rations had run low and --by the look of things-- additional food and fresh water may be hard to come by at their present location. This was a serious matter when you were sailing with the worst bunch of fishermen in the Grand Line.

"I don't know, I don't know…" Nami mumbled out as she worriedly bit her lip. "I don't like this." She admitted. "We should stay on the ship until the Log Pose sets."

"No!" Luffy cried out angrily. "It's a mystery island! I wanna explore it!"

"Are you kidding? No way!" Nami shouted back, her eyes wide. "We're going to stay as far away from that—that _place_, as possible!"

"That's not very adventurous of you, Miss Navigator." A sultry voice observed from high above in the crow's nest.

Nami focused her wrath up at Robin's innocent seeming expression. The navigator knew the other woman was just harmlessly picking on her, but her words would just give Luffy added encouragement. With a frown and a cutting motion across her throat, Nami turned away from the dark-haired woman to once again view their surroundings. Whatever lies on that island; it wasn't an adventure.

"What's the deal?" Luffy grumbled; his arms crossed stubbornly. "It's just an island."

"_That_…" Nami growled as she pointed at the dark object before them. "Is _not_ an island."

A wooden silence followed her statement and Nami winced as she prepared for the worst.

"It's not?" Luffy's eyes were as wide as saucers. The redhead could practically see the boy's curiosity reach even greater heights.

"Arrgh!" Exasperated, Nami began tearing at her hair. "Sanji, help me here." She begged.

Sanji coolly studied the island, his cigarette jutting out over his lower lip. _'You can't fix a broken egg'_; Zeff had always said. _'All you can do is scramble it.'_

"If we send a group out, we may be able to find out some information. Where to get food, how long the log pose takes to set, what island is our next destination, etceteras…." Sanji took one glance at Nami's furious face and winced, beads of sweat quickly forming across his brow. "Of course it could also be a completely bad idea." He amended hastily.

Nami's face remained unchanged, promising worlds of pain to the skinny blond later. Sanji shrugged apologetically before looking irritably around the ship's fore. "Where's Usopp? He always makes up the good excuses." He muttered.

"He's hiding under Nami's bed." Luffy grinned cheekily, unwittingly getting distracted from his battle of wills.

"What?" Nami shouted in horror. "I hide my underwear under there!" Spinning in place, the redhead quickly darted across the deck.

Luffy's brows were scrunched together in confusion. "Why would she stick her underwear under her bed? Are they dirty?"

Beside him, Sanji had the grace to blush. Once Zoro had accused the blond of being a panty-thief, Nami's underclothes had since vanished from immediate view.

Damn that sword-freak, anyway.

"Umm…I'd better go help Chopper. With the steering. Yeah." With that the Sanji quickly turned tail, as if afraid that Luffy would voice any more innocent questions about undergarments. '_Stupid Zoro and his stupid tattle-telling….'_

An inadvertent sneeze coupled with the sounds of Sanji's heavily cobbled shoes stomping by succeeded in waking a certain green-haired swordsman from his afternoon nap. Yawning, Zoro stretched his arms out above him before slowly rising to his feet. A harsh cracking of the neck followed by another lazy yawn and the swordsman headed instinctively forward, to the bow of the ship.

Zoro easily followed the sounds of plaintive whining, as his captain begged their local archeologist to let him go. One of Robin's arms had sprouted from the ram's head and was now holding Luffy's ankle hostage. The rubber-boy was yanking on the captured appendage futilely, as he glared up at the crow's nest with accusing eyes.

As if magnetized, Zoro's eyes moved to stare out towards the desolate object in the distance. For an island, it certainty seemed black and dead --covered by nothing but broken chunks of stone and rubble. Plumes and tendrils of thick dark smoke billowed out of a jagged looking object that took up most of the center of the island. That smoke swirled in a circular motion around the object's tallest spire, before drifting up to join the dark clouds handing low and ominous in the sky. The tower itself seemed to reach up to the heavens, like the claw of a dying bird.

Well, Zoro was sure he had seen worse…_somewhere_.

Zoro irritably shrugged off the itch that had crawled up his spine and seemed to demand stupid things, like for him drawing of his swords. The Straw Hat Crew's first mate stepped up to stand beside his captain, who had since fallen into a sullen silence. Glancing at Luffy's forlorn form, Zoro frowned slightly.

Clearing his throat, he decided to try and strike up a conversation to lighten the mood.

"Is that the island?" He asked idly, keeping his gaze straight out in front of him.

Luffy heaved an enormous sigh. "Yep." He mumbled.

"It's still some distance away." Zoro observed casually as he rocked back and forth on his heels, mimicking the waves that crested along the sides of their ship. The Going Merry was heading closer to the island at a snail's pace, it's sails not even moved to catch the wind. Zoro snorted to himself. So, the rest of the crew was feeling chicken, eh?

"Yeah…" the word was practically dragged from Luffy's throat as the boy stared glumly at the dark object taking over most of the horizon. Even the boy's token hat seemed to droop in the face of its owner's dolor.

Zoro let silence envelop them once more as he crossed his arms, thinking. Beside him, Luffy silently moped, his spirits seemingly crushed. It made Zoro uncomfortable to see that look, twisting something in his chest. Always sensitive to his captain's moods, Zoro could practically feel the other's misery wash over him.

Which was probably why he was about to do something incredibly stupid.

Consequences were quickly weighed and discarded. Only one thing mattered, anyway. His brow smoothing, Zoro came to a decision. Resting his back on the rail, the swordsman stared at his fingertips with feigned interest.

"So…" he drawled out casually. "You wanna go check it out?"

The transformation was absolutely amazing. Luffy's head snapped around so fast his hat tipped askew, sliding over one brightly gleaming eye. "Could we?" Luffy asked, desperate hope lining his voice. Zoro hid his smirk with a careless shrug.

"Why not? There's nothing else to do. And besides, you would've managed to sneak off eventually." Zoro stated matter-of-factly.

Luffy positively beamed at him, causing the swordsman to cough in embarrassment. "Without me there, who knows what trouble you might cause?" Zoro mumbled. Luffy's lip puckered out slightly.

"Aww, but I like trouble!" he whined, putting on a sort of mock sulk that told Zoro that Luffy was teasing him.

Zoro stared at his captain, pointedly raising one eyebrow. "Hey, it's your choice." He stated with an indifferent shrug. "You could just sit here under that woman's guard all day…" he trailed off threateningly.

"But I like Zoro too!" Luffy stated quickly. "And I wanna see what's on that island. So let's go!" The rubber-boy once more began tugging at the steel-like grip on his leg; stretching his leg to inhuman proportions.

Zoro cast his eyes up to the crow's nest, his face impassive. "Well?" he called up quietly, in his tone a clear threat stating that he had no problem with freeing his captain by force.

"I do not think that Miss Navigator will like this turn of events." Robin leaned over the ledge casually, her hat casting her eyes into mysterious shadows. Luffy stared up at her with the wide and pleading eyes of a child.

"Are you gonna tell on us, Robin?" he asked with a pout.

Robin stared down at the two for a long moment before turning to slip down out the hole near the mast. "Who will be here to tell?" She asked as she slowly descended the ladder. "I'm coming with you."

Luffy shouted happily as his leg was suddenly freed. Less pleased, Zoro felt his eye twitch.

"What? Why?" he demanded. He had no problem exploring a new and possibly dangerous island with his captain, but letting that woman tag along…

"Why not?" Robin straightened her clothes demurely. "I have just as much interest in seeing this 'Mystery Island' as you two do." She stated evenly as she approached the bow. "Besides, it is as you said before, Mr. Swordsman. You could always choose to remain here."

"Zo-ro…" Luffy hopped off the figurehead, as he stared at his best friend with puppy-dog eyes. Zoro twitched before turning away with a glare.

"Fine." He growled. "But keep your hands to yourself." He ordered Robin. "All of them."

Robin gave the swordsman a bland smile that Zoro didn't trust for one minute. "Of course." She slid her hands—her original ones—into the pockets of her khaki's to prove her point.

Zoro grunted and turned away only to jerk in surprise as a long arm wound tightly about his middle. The swordsman was pulled off his feet only to be gripped close against his captain's wiry body. Staring with wide eyes up into Luffy's face, Zoro sputtered for something to say.

"Don't worry." Luffy grinned down at him as the rubber boy wound his other arm backwards: preparing to launch. "I've got you." And then Zoro was staring at the back of the boy's tousled hair as Luffy called back to their other companion.

"Here, Robin, can you hold this? Good. Don't loose it now, it's important to me. Okay, now grab on. Heehee. This is going to be fun! Hold on guys!" Luffy's head turned once more and grinned down at Zoro, his eyes twinkling with joy.

And then they were flying.

_**vvvvvv**_

"Where are they?" Nami demanded as released her death grip on Usopp's nose and grabbed Sanji by the lapels. "Where the hell did they go?" She shook the blond violently.

"There's—only—one—place—that--comes to—mind…" Sanji managed to blurt out as his teeth rattled back somewhere into the vicinity of his brain. Which was a good thing, or else he might have bitten off his tongue.

The cook's vision was just beginning to darken when Nami dropped him like a sack of hot coals. Horrified eyes stared out at the island looming before them.

"The _idiots_." Nami spoke the word like a curse. "They wouldn't have. Robin… Robin would have stopped them, right?" desperate eyes pleaded with her battered companions.

Usopp shrugged, more concerned about straightening the noticeable crook in his nose. "Who cares? If it's Luffy and Zoro, they can take care of themselves. And Robin is probably just hanging around here somewhere, reading one of her books."

"Unless she thought there was something there interesting enough to warrant breaking the rules." Sanji said, his voice low and serious. Then sparkling red hearts came to his eyes. "Miss Robin is so independent!" The cook clasped his hands together giddily.

"Quiet!" Nami gave the blond a sharp knock to the head.

The redhead had a grim expression on her face as her hands moved to grip the wooden railing in a white-knuckled grip. Was this her fault? If anything happened to them…. Closing her eyes, Nami bowed her head.

"I didn't get a chance to tell them…" Nami muttered as she slumped to her knees. "I didn't _want_ to tell them. It was in a book. Just a small notation in the margins; referring to a nameless island."

"What's so bad about that?" Usopp asked. "I mean, if it's nameless, couldn't it be some other island?"

Nami shook her head. "The coordinates are too close a match." Taking a deep breath, the redhead quickly pulled herself to her feet. "We have to get Luffy and Zoro out of there." She stated firmly. "And Robin too, if she went with them." Nami pounded a fist onto the railing angrily. "Damn it, she knew what the book said! Is she trying to get everyone killed?"

"What do you mean?" Sanji asked, his hands unconsciously clenching around the already abused banister. Sharp eyes scoured the island's shore, as if trying to visibly discern the threat. Beside him, Usopp gulped audibly and took a step backwards, as if that alone could keep the island from drawing nearer.

"W-hat did the b-book say?" the gunner stuttered out, as if he really didn't want to know the answer.

"There were just two words." Nami's lower lip trembled, showing that she was not as resolute as she tried to appear. "_'Metal'_…" she took a slow, in-drawn breath and released it in a shuddering sigh.

"And _'Death_.'"

_**vvvvvv**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter **_Two_**:

The force of the wind blasted involuntary tears from the trio's eyes as Luffy, Zoro and Robin hurtled through the sky with haphazard accuracy. Luffy had catapulted them from the Going Merry with little warning, not that that was unusual. Land and sky melded together with ocean as they spun in a tight vortex shooting in a level arch towards the island…

…hopefully.

Ear pressed against a brightly colored vest, Zoro could hear Luffy's gleeful laughter reverberate through his chest. Closing his eyes and muttering, the swordsman promised sweet revenge for the slow shaving away at his life that these kind of antics caused. Zoro's hair was going to turn prematurely gray if things continued at this rate.

Still, Zoro smiled. He couldn't help the small thrill in his stomach every time his captain did this. It really was almost like flying.

Almost doesn't count, however, and Zoro stiffened, belatedly preparing himself for the inevitable impact with what he _hoped_ would be land. The thought of dragging two hammers out of the water… that might be more then even _his_ stamina could handle. Clutching his swords in a fierce grip, Zoro's other arm quickly wrapped around his captain's narrow waist…

…just in case their landing was a watery one, he told himself.

It was to the swordsman's surprise that their controlled crash struck neither land nor sea, but a thick net that bent with the force of their impact. Rather than rebounding or even falling to the ground, dozens of _somethings_ reached out and held them up in a tight grip. Zoro's eyes met Luffy's wide ones as realization slowly sunk in.

"Heehee…thanks Robin!" Luffy exclaimed and, as if by magic, their safety net slowly dissolved into a rain of vanishing petals.

A creepy feeling crawled up Zoro's spine and his eye twitched as his feet hit the ground. "I told you hands off, woman!" Zoro scowled, feeling a hand still grabbing his waist.

Robin just gave him an unreadable smile. "I'm afraid that one doesn't belong to me, Mr. Swordsman."

"Ah, sorry." Luffy blushed and, giving the swordsman a tiny smile, he quickly retracted his arm. Zoro's eyebrow rose slightly but he refrained from commenting as Luffy's attention had already switched to something else.

"Wow, there sure are a lot of rocks!" The rubber-boy exclaimed. "Hey, what's this black stuff? Eww, It's slimy." Luffy shook his hand in disgust but the substance wouldn't come off.

Frowning, Zoro crouched low and scraped a finger across the nearest rock, revealing dark gray stone beneath. Rubbing the greasy substance between his fingers, the swordsman cautiously darted his tongue out to taste it. Grimacing, Zoro hastily spit the awful taste from his mouth.

"Some sort of oil, I believe." Robin observed idly. "I would try not to get it on you, as I don't think we'd have the opportunity to wash it off." She gestured to the thick coating floating atop the ocean's surface.

"Washing up is the least of my worries." Zoro muttered as he stood and cast a watchful eye across the craggy coastline. The island appeared just as lifeless as it seemed from the deck of the Going Merry. But, up close, it was impossible to deny the certain sinister air that weighted heavily around them, almost suffocating. Unwillingly, Zoro found his eyes drawn to the towering object in the distance.

"Mr. Cook was correct then," Zoro felt the dark-haired woman step up beside him. "That is definitely not a mountain."

Staring at the looming tower made Zoro uncomfortable but rather than admit it, the swordsman chose instead to focus his attention on his captain, who had been abnormally silent.

Zoro found the dark-haired boy standing a couple of meters away, his back towards his companions and his head bowed. Curious and just a tad bit concerned; Zoro slowly approached. Luffy's head popped up as he felt his friend's presence. The rubber boy craned his head around; his face screwed up in an expression of confusion.

"Zoro? Do mosquitoes normally explode?"

"Explode?" Zoro's eyebrows arched upwards incredulously.

"Yeah, see?" Luffy promptly help aloft his hands, displaying a small scorch mark scarring each palm. The dark-haired boy quickly abandoned his display however, in favor of rubbing at his neck where two little bumps were beginning to redden. "It bit me." Luffy stated peevishly.

"Well, I'm sure it learned its lesson." Zoro muttered distractedly, his narrow eyes searching out the faint noise buzzing around his head.

Luffy looked up suddenly, seeing that one of Zoro's swords appeared to materialize into the swordsman's hands. The shining blade sliced down sharply, cleaving the air with a short whistle. A small pop sounded in its wake, followed by a puff of smoke that rose gently into the air.

"There is definitely something unusual about this island." Robin stated casually as she summoned up an extra arm from the swordsman's shoulder. The foreign appendage shot out precisely as the hand closed swiftly around something that had been hovering in the air.

Drawing closer, the archeologist attempted to examine her quarry, but a stinging pain in her hand caused Robin to open her palm prematurely. The rogue insect flew high into the air before escaping inward towards the center of the island. Robin made a vague disappointed noise as she rubbed her right hand reflexively.

"Well, we're not going to find anything out by just standing here." Zoro stated with a frown, refusing to be baited into the 'hands off' argument once again. The green haired man looked upward into the darkening sky.

"Shall we head for the tower then?" Robin asked as she tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "It could be dangerous." She teased. The wind was gradually picking up speed, making it harder to hear the swordsman's reply. Judging by the movement of his lips, Robin guessed the word wasn't a polite one.

Sheathing his katana, Zoro gazed warily across the desert of oil-coated rocks, to the distant shadow of the mysterious tower. Even as he watched, a bolt of lightning struck down upon the tallest spire, causing a crackling wave of electricity to course down the structure. For a moment the tower glowed eerily, as if possessed by the legendary fire of St. Elmo.

Sailors used to call that fire a bad omen. At this point Zoro was inclined to agree. But, regardless, the swordsman squared his shoulders and started forward, stubbornly ignoring the voice in his head that was screaming that something wasn't right.

"Come on," Zoro ordered crossly over his shoulder. "Before the rain breaks."

Robin didn't budge.

"Perhaps we should find our what has become of our captain first." She offered calmly.

Zoro's head whipped around so fast that an audible crack could be heard. "What?"

Robin shrugged her thin shoulders helplessly.

Looking frantically about, Zoro quickly discovered that their captain was indeed nowhere to be found. Zoro stared intently into the oil-covered waves cresting a few meters behind Robin, hoping that his dark-haired friend wasn't in there. In the ocean's clutches he would be vulnerable…helpless….maybe even afraid….

Giving himself a mental shake, Zoro dropped quickly back into his tough guy routine. His current audience was just a little too perceptive for his liking.

"Why that little pain in the ass…" Zoro growled. "I take my eyes off him for one second and—"

"He may not have left of his own violation." Robin chided. "We know nothing about this island, after all, and who may reside on it."

"Shit." Zoro felt the tide of worry and frustration suddenly wash over him, making him break character and lower his walls around a woman he still didn't completely trust. "Luffy!" he called out, brushing past Robin to once again scour the rocks, hoping to catch sight of a telltale red shirt amongst the field of black and gray.

'The stupid idiot, he could have slipped and hit his head or even…' 

"Luffy!" Zoro called out again.

"Help!" 

Zoro's heart skipped nearly three beats as he heard the faint cry. The voice was Luffy's; no doubt, but it was near unheard of for his captain to be so vocal in his need for assistance.Zoro's misgivings increased twofold.

"Where are you?" Zoro's voice echoed across the barren land as he began shoving boulders aside, on the off chance that Luffy had somehow gotten himself pinned beneath one.

"His voice came from that direction, I believe." Robin tentatively pointed towards the east. "It didn't sound like he was too far away, but his voice seemed muffled for some reason."

Zoro stumbled over rocks and slipped on oil-slicked gravel as he fought his way over to where Robin had indicated. The gruff swordsman told himself that he was a fool to get so worked up over a comrade as strong as Luffy, who could easily take care of himself in a fight. But that soft spot in his heart that had allowed the wide-eyed, happy-go-lucky boy to worm himself inside—_that_ part practically _demanded_ that Zoro find his captain and make sure he was all right.

He _had_ to be all right…

So rushed was he with his own urgency-fed adrenaline, Zoro had almost run straight off the edge of a small ravine. The treacherous slit in the ground had been partially concealed by the rocked and Zoro had to scrabble backwards to prevent himself from falling in by sheer momentum alone. Skidding to a stop at the very brink of the rift, Zoro watched breathlessly as a handful of pebbles fell away into the darkness.

Seconds later, Zoro heard a small splash, indicating that the crevice was not as deep as his first impression had led him to believe. It seemed a small stream of oil had helped facilitate the illusion, flowing silently at the bottom of the ravine. The deep chasm he almost fell into was no more than a ditch that was only about half a dozen meters deep. Zoro gave a boneless sigh of relief.

"_Hello?"_

In a flash, Zoro had dropped to his knees, peering over the edge as his eyes tried to pierce the blasted darkness. "Luffy?"

"_Zoro!"_ Luffy cried out, his voice laced with panic.

"I'll be right down!"

Without another thought, Zoro threw himself over the edge, Robin's half-hearted protests following him down.

Skidding down the rocky walls, the green-haired man did his best to control his fall, hoping that he wouldn't inadvertently land on Luffy and exacerbate whatever situation the rubber-boy had gotten himself into. Once too many times, a sharp rock would jut out and scrape painfully across his back or leg, causing the swordsman to bite back a curse. A particularly violent swear did erupt, however, when an especially savage rock caught him in the rear.

Zoro finally landed at the bottom with a jarring splash that soaked the better half of his pants in dark, greasy scum. To Zoro that meant little; his pants were black anyway. He had more important matters to see to than his damaged couture.

"Luffy?" he called out hesitantly, his eyes having yet to adjust to deep-set shadows around him.

"Zoro?" A lump in the darkness replied. "Is that you?"

"Who else do I sound like, bonehead?" Zoro grumbled as he sloshed his way forward. Luffy, squatting in the black slime; hadn't moved. "Are you all right?" Zoro asked suddenly in a softer tone.

"I think I'm blind!" Luffy whimpered suddenly as he rubbed fitfully at his eyes.

"What?" the swordsman quickly reached out. "Here, let me see. Ugh, you're covered in oil. What did you do, fall in head first?"

"It stings…" Luffy whined pitifully as he frantically scrubbed his face.

Zoro sighed.

"Hold on. Don't rub it, you'll only make it worse."

Reaching across to his other arm, Zoro tugged off the black cloth wrapped around it. Using his headband as a rag made the green-haired man give a little mental wince, but it was all that was handy at the moment, unless he wanted to use his own shirt. Pinching a fold between thumb and forefinger, Zoro set about carefully running the cloth across the encrusted line of Luffy's eyelashes.

The work was slow going; the oil was sticky and left a dark residue in its wake. But, before long, two luminescent eyes blinked up at him in wonder. Zoro patiently uncovered the rest of the heart-shaped face, but avoided the boy's mouth. That area seemed too personal for even the captain's first mate to intrude. Luffy's eyes shined with gratitude and Zoro smiled before suddenly realizing what he was doing. Zoro snorted and stood, flinging the grease-covered rag over Luffy's head.

"You still look like shit, but I managed to get most of the stuff off." The swordsman stepped back, putting a bit of space between them. "You had better scrub your hands though before—ungh!"

Zoro stared down at the slimy black thing that was now leached onto him. Luffy's arms had wrapped tightly around his waist, coincidentally transferring a lot of the oil onto his captive. Zoro grabbed at the boy's slick shoulders and tried to push him away but with little success.

The swordsman growled warningly and found himself subconsciously waiting for his captain's lilting laugh in answer. But Luffy just stared up at him with big, serious eyes. Zoro stared silently back, his hands still resting on Luffy's shoulders. It was if the entire world had stopped around them. Zoro swallowed thickly, as he scrabbled for some sort of excuse for why he hadn't broken the boy's embrace.

Well…If Luffy appeared to be in deep thought, who was Zoro to interrupt?

Right?

"Zoro," Luffy finally broke the silence. "You're going to be the World's Greatest Swordsman, right?"

"You know it." Zoro replied automatically.

"And I'm going to be the Pirate King?"

"_Yeah_…" the swordsman replied slowly. Zoro cocked an eyebrow, wondering where this conversation was leading.

"Then…" The word trailed off into a hum.

"_Then_?" Zoro encouraged.

"Then who's gonna be the Pirate King's Wife?" Luffy asked in a rush.

Zoro's brain squealed to a stop. "_Huh_?"

"You know, the wife of the Pirate King." Luffy explained hurriedly. "The person that always stands by him and cares for him while he's hurt and has his babies. Who will that person be?"

Zoro closed his eyes tiredly, feeling a sudden headache coming on. Perhaps his captain _had_ hit his head when he had fallen. "You want me to find you a _wife_?" Zoro translated in a deadpan voice, refusing to open his eyes and make this insane conversation a reality. And if that helped the small squash of disappointment, all the better.

For the briefest of moments, Zoro felt a sudden pressure against his lips. The unexpected touch was both soft and firm all at once. A warm puff of air crossed his face before the contact disappeared. Opening his eyes, Zoro looked wonderingly down at other boy; his mind unable to exactly process what had just occurred. He felt Luffy's arms tighten around him ever so slightly.

"Naah." The rubber- boy finally replied. "I don't think the Pirate King really needs a wife…"

Luffy's mouth arched up in an amused grin.

"I think a Greatest Swordsman is enough."

Zoro's throat tightened. "Lu—"

"Hey, a tunnel!"

Whatever Zoro was going to say was bit off along with what seemed like part of his tongue as Luffy suddenly pushed him aside to bounce excitedly towards a dark hole set into the crevice's furthest wall. Zoro stared after the rubber-boy, a vein twitching on his forehead. Of all the inconsiderate, idiotic—

"Can we see where it leads, Zoro?" Luffy begged as he practically vibrated from excitement.

Zoro sighed wearily, fondly directing a few mental curses at his companion. In the end, Luffy was Luffy. That fact would never change.

Still, sludging through foul smelling holes was not Zoro's idea of a good time. "I thought you wanted to go see the tower?" he reasoned.

"I do!" Luffy replied. "But…" the dark-haired boy looked back at the tunnel; torn.

"It would seem like this tunnel leads towards the center of the island." Robin stated, who had seemingly appeared out of the blue. One glance behind her showed a vanishing chain of arms that had created a particularly creepy sort of flesh and bone ladder. In her hand was a familiar straw object that had miraculously escaped Luffy's own oily fate.

"Hat!" Luffy cried, happily snatching up the prized possession.

"Perhaps," Robin continued encouragingly. "This is our good fortune to have a way to approach the tower with less visibility."

"_Great_." Zoro muttered, casting the woman a sideways glare.

"Haha!" Luffy whooped. "Mystery Tunnel it is! Come on, guys!" Without waiting up, their wayward captain quickly disappeared into the darkness.

"Well, well…" Robin smiled lightly at her remaining companion. "What an interesting discovery you two have made." The woman's eyes flashed knowingly.

Zoro felt his face reddening and turned angrily away. "What? It's just a stupid tunnel." The swordsman vainly tried to erase the Luffy-shaped imprint on his clothes.

"I see…" Robin slowly circled around him. Pausing before the green-haired man's face, a ghostly smirk crossed her exotic features.

"You seem to have a bit of oil… right here." She pointed to his lips triumphantly.

Zoro quickly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his face by now positively flaming. "Not a word of this to the others!" he warned.

"Perish the thought!" Robin laughed lightly as she passed him by.

"I mean it!" Zoro growled as he stalked after her.

"Zoro! Robin!" Luffy's voice floated out of the tunnel impatiently. "Come _on_!"

"We had better hurry," Robin's voice rolled out teasingly. "Your husband is calling us."

"Why _you_…" Zoro's hands twitched with the effort it took not to wring that slender little neck. The bitch must have been listening in the entire time! Zoro was going to—

Wait.

"Hey!" Zoro halted in his tracks. "I'm not havin' _no_ babies!" he called out in an offended protest that caused Robin to burst out into an all out laugh.

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"Usopp!" Nami called out impatiently. "Hurry up and get in the rowboat!"

"Ummm…" the sharpshooter hedged. "I really don't think this is such a good idea." Sweating, the dark-haired boy slowly tried to inch away.

"Get your ass in the boat, long-nose!" Sanji growled, fighting to keep a hold of his end of the rope as the pulley above him squeaked in protest.

The rowboat was ready to be lowered into the water at anytime…as soon as their resident coward got his arse in gear. Sanji's arms ached with the strain of holding the small vessel aloft but the blonde forced himself to ignore it. Miss Nami would definitely not be happy with a splash landing into the water. On the dinghy's other side, Chopper –in human form-- seemed to be suffering from no such struggles. Sanji growled and tightened his grip.

"Seriously guys," Usopp protested. "My leg, it's uhh…giving me trouble again. Old battle scar and all. And it seems like wherever you're headed will take a lot of walking. And over rough terrain at that. I honestly don't think I'd make the trip." The sharpshooter hobbled about on one leg and did his best to look pathetic.

"I'm sure Chopper would be happy to carry you." Sanji gritted out, refusing to admit that he didn't have the arm strength for this kind of work and wanting to move things along before he embarrassed himself. At least that Vegetable Head wasn't around to see him sweat.

"Yeah, Usopp!" Chopper's high voice squeaked out unnaturally from his larger form. "I wouldn't mind, really. I—"

If it were possible, the reindeer would have paled under the dirty look the dark-skinned boy shot at him. Gulping audibly, the doctor took the hint with unusual perceptiveness and swiftly changed gears.

"Iiy-ii--I don't think so!" Chopper shouted out with over-exaggerated pronunciation. "Like hell I'd carry that long-nosed freak around! Screw you, shitty cook!" Chopper smiled to himself. He had gotten that last bit from Zoro.

Identical drops of sweat appeared on his companions' brows in reaction to the furry behemoth's sudden turn-around. Twitching only slightly --thanks to the freak comment-- Usopp was the first to recover his wits.

"See?" He gestured wildly. "I think it would be better for all if I just sat this one out. I'd only be holding you back, after all." Noticing the others hardly looked convinced, the sharpshooter switched tactics with the speed of a flying pachinko ball. "B-besides! Someone needs to look after the ship! That's right! Who knows what horrific monster may be lurking in wait to strike the Merry if we just abandoned it."

Usopp watched triumphantly as Nami's resolve cracked just slightly. The dark-haired boy quickly moved in for the kill.

"Come on, can you honestly imagine being stranded on an island like this?"

Like magic, Nami's face crumbled into resigned defeat.

"Fine." The redhead grumbled reluctantly. "But keep a light burning outside. Just in case we need to find the ship after dark.

"Of course." Usopp saluted grandly. "You can count on me! I, Usopp the Great, will defend this ship with my life and heroically await for the lost sheep to return home!"

"Wow!" Chopper gasped. "Usopp is so brave to be willing to fight horrible monsters all by his self!"

"_Horrific_ monsters." Usopp corrected.

"So brave of you, _Great_ Usopp…" Sanji sung out sarcastically, a sneer marring his typical smooth expression.

"Yeah, well." Usopp chuckled weakly. "We all have to do our part…."

"You've got that right." Nami muttered as she shot the sharpshooter a sideways glare. "Let's go, guys." She motioned with her hand and the small rowboat was lowered towards the water with a series of short, irregular jerks.

Usopp watched as the group vanished over the side, all the while silently cursing the rush of relief that spread through him. Any island with the word death involved was to him a Bad Idea. Let Luffy and Zoro go exploring if they wanted to, those two possessed such inhuman strength that Usopp actually felt bad for whatever being decided to cross paths with them.

But that didn't make the disappointment in Nami's eyes sting any less. The two had come to a new understanding in Alabasta. Even being the weakest of the group, they would find a way to fight alongside everyone. There had been an unspoken agreement to support each other when faced with odds that didn't look to be in their favor.

Yeah, Usopp snorted mockingly. Nami came out of Alabasta with an injured foot. Usopp had been carted around in a full body cast.

But still…

"Damn it Usopp," The dark-haired boy cursed. "Why do you have to be such a damn coward?" he asked himself as he stared out at the forbidding island and shivered.

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter **_Three_**:

"Chopper, quit leanin' so far to the side. You'll capsize us!" Sanji yelled out irritably as he struggled with one oar. It didn't help the blond's temper any that he was currently carrying the brunt of the load, so to speak. Why wasn't that reindeer rowing, anyway?

"But it's so pretty…" Chopper whispered in awe, as he peered over the rim of the rowboat.

"What is it, Tony?" Nami asked, finally coming out of the funk she had fallen into ever since the fight with Usopp. The redhead crawled carefully over to the doctor's side.

"The water has rainbows on it!" Chopper pointed.

Indeed, swirling puddles of interchanging colors covered the ocean's surface, gleaming dully in the grey light of the overcast sky. The colors shifted and moved as if alive, like some sinister entity waiting to swallow them up. Sanji frowned and put a little more energy into rowing.

"It's oil, Chopper, and it's killing the fish." Sanji gestured to the grey lumps floating lifelessly along the shallow waters near the shore. "It's probably what killed this island as well. We won't find any sort of food here." The blond stated grimly.

"Oh…" Chopper replied in a small voice. Picking up his oar once more, the reindeer slowly pushed the paddle through the water, causing the 'rainbows' to temporarily vanish. The three continue towards the island in silence, the oppressive atmosphere and worry for their friends weighing heavily on their thoughts.

Sanji hopped out of the boat when the small vessel grounded itself in the shallows. A disgusted look crossed the cook's face as he waded through the polluted water, but he said nothing about it. Gritting his teeth, the blond pulled the dinghy up onto the rocky beach. Chopper quickly transformed into his normal diminutive form, lightening the load considerably.

Sanji quickly wiped his hands on his pants, before offering Nami assistance out of the boat. Staring around at the devastated landscape, the redhead couldn't stop the chill from traveling up her spine. She couldn't imagine anything actually living here, despite the tower that jutted out mockingly before her eyes. Unconsciously, Nami found herself clinging to Sanji's sleeve, a strange feeling of foreboding sinking into her very bones.

Chopper coughed, his blue nose wrinkled up in pain. "The air here…it's hard to breathe…"

"It's probably the smoke." Sanji murmured as he gazed around idly. "Try to bear with it. If we're heading towards that tower, its probably only going to get worse."

"It makes my nose sting." The reindeer whimpered, covering the abused appendage with his hooves.

Chopper looked at his surroundings with solemn eyes. The oil-coated rocks and blackened soil was a giant contrast to the gleaming white snow of the winter island in which he was born. The sludge caked uncomfortably between his hooves as he shifted. Chopper stared at the desolation and tried hard to imagine what it might have looked like long ago, when green and living things grew upon its surface.

Sanji cursed suddenly, making the reindeer jump.

"What is it?" Chopper asked, his eyes darting about wildly.

"Well one thing still lives on this island…." The blond griped, waving his hand defensively in front of him.

"What? What?" The furry doctor demanded. He stretched his hooves out in the defensive position taught to him by Usopp.

"Ow!" Nami exclaimed, rubbing her arm. "Stupid mosquitos!"

Chopper twitched as he felt something land on his nose. Going cross-eyes, the little reindeer could just make out a brief metallic sheen before a stinging sensation traveled up his most sensitive organ. "Gah!" Chopper cried, slapping himself on the nose.

"We need to find the others and get off this island as soon as possible." Nami ordered. "We'll be eaten alive at this rate." The redhead said, only half-jokingly.

"But I don't see them." Chopper craned his head this way and that. "We weren't that far behind. Shouldn't they still be in view?" the reindeer hopped about nervously.

"I hope Miss Robin is okay…" Sanji sighed as he donned a lovelorn expression. Beside him, Nami's eyes narrowed.

"She knew about the words in that book." The redhead scowled, suddenly releasing her grip on Sanji's shirt. "It's Luffy and Zoro I'm worried about. They don't have a clue."

"_That's_ completely normal." Sanji muttered as he lit a cigarette. " Just leave them be. Those idiots can take care of themselves."

Staring at the two with wary eyes, Chopper backed away nervously.

"Of course! Seeing how they did _so_ well last time." Nami spit out sarcastically, shooting an angry glare Sanji's way. It seemed the navigator hadn't exactly got out of her bad mood after all.

Sanji stayed stubbornly silent, though his troubled expression told Nami she had hit her mark. The blond tried to banish the images that suddenly flashed through his head. Images of a swamp-covered island…of a dark-haired madman…and the gray faces of his unconscious companions as he dragged them back to the ship.

In some ways that particular adventure had made Alabasta seem like a cakewalk. At least, in the desert kingdom, the blond never felt the stone-cold certainty that one of his friends was going to die. Sanji's face darkened with the memory.

The cook glanced down at the sudden grip on his leg, pulling himself away from bad memories and the unresolved feelings they invoked. "Are Luffy and the others going to get hurt again? Because I don't have the supplies to treat injuries that serious." Chopper whimpered, his furry face creased with worry.

Sanji exhaled a ring of smoke before reaching down and patting the reindeer's hat. "You won't have to, Chopper." Sanji smiled encouragingly. "Those guys will be fine, you'll see."

"Really?" Chopper's eyes shined up hopefully.

"_Really_, really." The cook grinned.

"Let's go." Nami sighed, her ire deflating once again. "Before Usopp gets so scared he runs off with the ship."

"You're right." Sanji smiled, eager to mend burnt bridges. "It looks like it'll rain soon anyway. I wouldn't want Miss Nami to catch a cold."

The navigator shook her head, her brown eyes scanning the dark clouds above them. "The air pressure is normal. It's not going to rain a drop."

"But the clouds are so dark…" Chopper protested.

"I think it's just the normal weather for this island." Nami stated. Looking down, she eyed their surroundings with a critical eye. "These clouds aren't likely to be going away. That means that we won't be able to see a thing come nightfall. We have to reach the tower before then."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Pinching the fire out of his cigarette with bare fingers, Sanji tossed the butt to the ground and started walking. Chopper and Nami exchanged bewildered looks at the blond's strange mood swings--before scrambling quickly after him.

The three traversed the rocky and oil-slickened ground, making for the tower in as straight a path as possible. It was this way that they missed the crack in the earth that led a stream of oil out to sea. That same crevice held a dark tunnel that was located a just slight off to the trio's right, a mere ten meters or so below their feet.

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Luffy was nearly floating with joy as he moved forward, the wonderfully tight feeling of elation providing an extra bounce in his steps. Remembering the look on Zoro's face caused Luffy's heart to jump in that funny way that sent a tickle through his chest. Luffy's grin stretched over nearly half his face, until his cheeks hurt from the strain. About to burst with happiness, the rubber boy rubbed his hands together spastically, to help dispel some of his nervous energy. Spread in front of his was the vast Unknown. And behind him…

"Alright, Mr. Adventure." Zoro huffed as he plowed into Luffy's back for the third time. "How are we supposed to navigate this 'mystery tunnel'? It's pitch black in here."

"From what I've heard." Robin's voice floated up from behind. "It's not likely to hurt _your_ directional skills."

A muffled laugh escaped their captain's lips.

"That's why _Luffy's_ in fro—" Zoro suddenly caught the joke. "Oh, why don't you just fall in a hole and die?" Zoro growled peevishly as he stumbled over something.

Behind Luffy… walked the one whom always trailed in his footsteps; the one who Luffy suspected would walk with him even in death. (Though the dark-haired boy hoped that day was yet far away.) After all, he had finally taken that giant First Step. Now… well, now was just the beginning, right?

"If this tunnel does indeed travel all the way to the tower, we could be walking for several kilometers." Robin kindly pointed out, breaking into her captain's happy musings.

A loud growling noise caused everyone to tense. Luffy clutched his stomach reflexively.

"Aiyie-yii…" The rubber boy whimpered as he trudged forward, noticeably less energetic than before. "I'm getting hungry. Do you think there'll be food at the end of this tunnel?"

"Probably not, Mr. Captain." Robin stated calmly. "There is a good possibility that we could travel all the way through only to find that we have to turn back around."

"That's it!" Zoro stopped dead in his tracks, causing Robin to knock into him. "We're turning back."

"It's just a possibility." Robin said placatingly. "We won't know for sure until we get to the end."

"And how are we gonna do that?" Zoro growled. "I can't see a damn thing in this tunnel! For all we know our next step could send us plummeting into some sort of pit or something."

"We could light a torch." Luffy suggested distractedly as he scanned the darkness in front of him. He thought he had seen…

"In a tunnel full of oil? Great idea!" Zoro spit out angrily, his fuse nearing its end.

"Perhaps if we all held hands?" Robin suggested, amused to see the stoic swordsman's feathers ruffled so repeatedly on this trip. She didn't particularly care where they went, as long as she got some entertainment out of it.

"Like hell!" Zoro probably wore a very frightening expression on his face, Robin speculated, with a lot of sharp teeth. She smiled.

"I'm sure your husband wouldn't mind."

"SHADDUP!"

Luffy listened to their bickering with half and ear as he tried to force his eyes to pierce the tunnel's darkness. The result was giving him quite the headache, but the reward was he could just barely make out something to his left. Something that turned big, glowing eyes towards him as he sloshed closer.

"Luffy?" Zoro suddenly called out, perhaps feeling the rubber boy's absence from his side.

The Straw Hat captain would have smiled had he not been concentrating so hard on the object that was now only a half a meter in front of him. Careful now… no need to startle it. _Careful_….

Luffy pounced, his hands closing securely around a slimy being that gave an alarmed _croak_ at it's own capture.

"What was that?" Luffy heard the telltale snick of Zoro's thumb loosening a katana from it's sheath.

"I thought I saw a light." Robin added, her voice lilting up in curiosity.

"Luffy?" Zoro called out again, a little more insistent this time.

"I'm right here." The dark-haired boy answered back, giving his captive a little experimental squeeze. A thin beam of light shone forth from the being's eyes, striking Zoro in the face with a sickly yellow glow.

"What the hell?" the swordsman shielded his face reflexively. But the strange light didn't harm him, merely illuminated a small circle of their surroundings. Zoro's eyebrows nearly reached his hairline. "How?"

"It's a toad!" Luffy replied gleefully as he walked easily back towards his companions. "I saw him outside just after we first landed. That's why I fell into the hole."

"B-but you can't use a frog—"

"Toad." Luffy quickly corrected his first mate.

"As—a, as a light!" Zoro sputtered out weakly.

Luffy held the small creature wordlessly in front of the swordsman's face. Zoro cringed back, bumping into Robin who was leaning foreword for a closer look.

"It appears he can, Mr. Swordsman."

"B-but how?" Zoro demanded angrily, irritated that his realm of normalcy was constantly being challenged by these crazy people.

"Who cares?" Luffy shrugged cheerfully as he did an abrupt about-face. "Now we can go down the tunnel!" The dim light cast the rocky walls into light for the first time, simultaneously pitting them with dark shadows.

"You can't argue with that." Robin stated as she brushed past Zoro to follow their captain. Zoro stood there until the circle of illumination had almost left him completely. Sighing, the green-haired man strode quickly through the sludge to catch up.

Being who they were, the trio had only traveled a few meters before inevitably something happened. The light Luffy bore brightened into a beacon before suddenly petering out, leaving the companions in darkness once more. A long silence followed.

"Now what?" Zoro growled out from the rear of the line.

"Oops." Luffy laughed apologetically. "I think I squeezed it too hard."

"Idiot!" the swordsman could feel the vein bulging in his temple. "Now, we're back where we started!"

Two glowing orbs blinked to life to Zoro's right, followed by four, then eight --until the whole tunnel floor seemed to come alive with squirming bits of illumination. Zoro stared about in growing alarm, the sound of a hundred toads calling out to each other reverberating in his ears. Apparently Mr. Illumi-toad had friends.

"I don't think light is going to be a problem." Robin pointed out calmly as Luffy laughed in delight.

Zoro sighed in defeated. "This is just too weird." He muttered to no one in particular.

_CRUNCH._

"You know, these things don't taste too bad." Luffy commented from the front of the line.

More crunching noises followed. Zoro twitched.

"Though they'd probably be better cooked." Luffy added thoughtfully before heaving a depressed sigh. "Too bad Sanji isn't here."

_Crunch. _Zoro was sure he heard a death-croak with that one. He shuddered.

"I wish I had some ketchup." Luffy muttered as the group moved onwards down the tunnel.

"STOP EATING OUR LIGHT!" Zoro exploded angrily.

Luffy froze. "I'm sorry, Zoro." He said earnestly.

There was a very small, very pregnant pause.

"Did you want one?"

It took Robin a couple of extra hands to keep the swordsman from strangling the rubber boy.

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"Play it again." A gravelly voice ordered.

Two round amphibian eyes blinked and then a glowing illumination filled the room once more.

A dark shadow watched intently at the two figures projected onto the wall. He watched as the larger one was embraced, and closed in on the two-dimensional picture as their mouths once more began to move. The man carefully studied the moving lips in the grainy image, a twisted smile forming on his scarred and scruffy face.

"The World's Strongest, eh?" the man murmured to himself as he watched the two young men kiss. He walked forward until his shadow partially blocked the light, obscuring the smaller boy and leaving the taller surrounded by darkness. Two circles of light glowed with interest.

"That would be something I think I'd like to see."

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter **_Four:_**

****

_Buhnn…_

"The noise is getting louder." Zoro stated aloud.

"It is more likely we are drawing closer to the source of the noise." Robin countered. "We have been walking for some time, after all."

"If we keep walking we might just wind up on the other side of the island." Zoro grumbled halfheartedly. His mood had been steadily declining in their damp and foul-smelling surroundings.

"I hadn't thought of that." Robin admitted. Even the stoic woman privately wished that they would reach the tower soon, as black sludge spilled over into her boots with every step. "I do hope your statement proves false, Mr. Swordsman."

_Whoosh…_

Up ahead, Luffy remained unusually quiet, void of the boisterous words of encouragement that he often handed out like candy. Zoro figured that the rubber boy wasn't even paying attention; being too caught up in his role of navigator in the dank hole he had dragged them in. Not that Zoro had put up much of a struggle about their current trail to adventure, but that itself wasn't unusual. The swordsman had a particular weakness in that respect.

Besides, that boneheaded captain had given him more than a little distraction, what with that whole confession thing. Zoro could feel his palms sweat just thinking about it.

The green-haired man was always a believer that actions spoke louder than words, so it wasn't that he hadn't felt the strange bond connecting him to his captain. It was a strange tingling current, much like the aftereffects of getting struck by lighting, or grabbing onto those snake-like fish that the Love Cook liked to fry up. But through all their battles and adventuring, Luffy and he…well, they never really talked about it.

Luffy would just meet his eyes across the dinner table and Zoro would know --just as sure as the rubber boy was seconds away from filching his food -- that the lumpy couch on which he slept would be holding one extra person that night.

Nothing happened, of course, not with three sets of curious eyes sneaking glances from different corners of the room. But, with that wiry body snuggled next to his own and the mop of dark hair that tickled his nose—it was those nights that Zoro slept better than any other time before. No haunting visions clouded his dreams, no staring up at the ceiling wondering how he could become even stronger. Just sleep, as cool and refreshing as the first taste of water on a parched tongue, so much that the others were surprised when the next day sailed by and the swordsman wouldn't have taken even a single nap.

_Buhnn ……… Whoosh …._

The sound jerked Zoro quickly back to the present. It seemed the trio was indeed drawing closer to whatever was making that piercing racket. Barely audible before, its vibration could now be felt running through the ground, bubbling up around their ankles and rippling outward. The sound reminded Zoro of the _suburi_ exercises he performed every morning. The slow --almost hypnotic-- tempo was very similar to the step and swing of his massive weights, only magnified a hundred times over.

The group stopped temporarily as their light once again petered out. Sighing, Zoro reached into the bag slung over his shoulder and pulled out one of the lumpy forms squirming inside. The swordsman gave the amphibian the slightest of squeezes—just enough to locate Robin's outstretched hand—before passing the creature over so the historian could in turn pass it to their captain. Grimacing, Zoro furtively wiped his hand on his pants to dispel any lingering toad-germs.

"Gee, these things sure are delicate." Luffy complained, his first words in nearly a half an hour. "You just _barely_ squeeze them and—"

"Stop!" Zoro commanded, his face a sickly tinge of green. "I don't want to know."

"I believe Mr. Swordsman is a bit bufonophobic." Robin noted teasingly.

"Wha'd you call me?" Zoro growled. It would take more than a bit of reminiscent musing to douse the green-haired man's ire. After all, they _were_ still stuck in some shit hole and being gradually coated in grime.

"Did you know the Giant Toad can live up to twenty-four years?" Luffy asked, striding along like a crazed tour guide. Zoro glared at Robin's shadowy form before heaving a tired sigh. If the historian weren't around…. If they weren't in this damn tunnel….

"Really?" Robin spoke with the air of someone who files every crumb of information into some remote corner of the brain.

Luffy's head bobbed animatedly in the glow of toad-light. "And toads don't have to live in wet places like frogs do cause their skin is so thick. These guys here must be rare." He added cheerfully as they continued down the tunnel.

"The glowing eyes didn't give you a clue?" Zoro muttered. He definitely wanted a nap. Regardless of whatever feelings he held for his captain, the predominate would always be that of someone on the edge of killing either himself or everyone around him just to get one moment's peace. Right now Zoro thought about how nice it would be to be able block these idiots out in the blissful realm of sleep.

"Maybe they're some sort of Super-Toad." Luffy wondered, laughing happily as he swung his newest captive about. Robin ducked her head gracefully to avoid being whacked in the face with the mottled creature.

"Mr. Captain sure is knowledgeable on the amphibian species." The historian noted with amusement, causing Luffy to beam with pride.

"I sure do! I could tell you all kinds of things! Like at night—"

"Oiy, oiy... Enough of the toad facts." Zoro broke in irritably. Sighing, he shifted the squirming bundle he carried into a more comfortable position. "How do you know so much about the things, anyway?" he huffed out as he slogged closer to the dark-haired boy. Robin gave him a mysterious smile before dropping submissively back to the rear.

"Oh, I used to keep one as a pet, back when I was little. I kept it alive for three whole years—until it ate my beetle collection."

"Then what happened, Mr. Captain?" Robin's voice held a sort of affectionate warmth. Luffy's freestyle way of life was actually quite charming after living so long among the jaded and corrupt criminals of the _Shichi Bukai_. As wild as a raging storm, the flighty teen still managed to keep a firm grip on his goals. Luffy was --as Robin once read—a mystery wrapped in an enigma. The historian was eager to learn more about this boy who would be the Pirate King.

"I got mad and stomped on it." Luffy stated simply and --like the unfortunate pet toad-- all further conversation died a quick and awkward death.

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Usopp juggled three tangerines idly, barely watching the orange orbs as they were bounced skillfully from hand to hand. If Nami caught the sharpshooter pillaging her precious grove, he'd surely be flayed alive. But Nami wasn't here. He was alone aboard the Going Merry, with not even the distant cries of seagulls for company.

The ever-enterprising Vice Captain Usopp was alone. And bored.

"I'm sure they're fine." The dark-haired boy reassured himself. "It's not like they'll encounter Giant, Flesh-Eating Succubae o-or the Flaming Fish of Wong. This island doesn't look that scary, after all. Not like the time I was on the island of…oh, who am I kidding…." Usopp trailed off dejectedly.

The bruised fruit was swiftly stashed into one of the gunner many pockets as Usopp hopped off the top step of the bridge and onto the main deck. Blocky brown boots scuffed dispiritedly across the worn wooden deck, leaving little skid marks that the sharpshooter knew he'd have to buff out later. Past Nami's lawn chair, past Zoro's favorite napping spot, past where Robin's hat lay, hastily discarded. Usopp didn't stop until he had arrived at the beakhead of the ship, where the ram's head jutted out; it's wooden expression unusually forlorn.

The dark-haired boy leaned dejectedly onto the rail, his chin resting atop his the horizontal line of his arms. A small breeze brushed across his nose teasingly, before fleeing back to the emptiness of the ocean. Everything felt so still, like the dark-skinned boy was captured inside a painting.

"Boy, I sure am lucky…" Usopp spoke aloud, his voice sounding coarse and far too loud to even his own ears. "Who knows what kind of dangerous things those guys are facing right now."

To Usopp, the silence that followed was thick and damning.

Dark eyes wavered as they stared across the small strip of strange colored sea that separated the dark island from the safety of the ship. By now the tower was barely visible as an indistinct shadow in the distance. The surrounding smoke seemed to thicken before the sharpshooter's eyes, enclosing his friends in an impenetrable wall of dark possibilities. Usopp broke his gaze guiltily; staring instead at the haze-obscured sun.

"Yessir…" The sharpshooter muttered, his eyes stinging. _'From the sun'_, his mind insisted.

"Lucky me…."

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"Look." And extra arm suddenly sprouted from Luffy's shoulder, pointing to their right. "It seems our tunnel is beginning to branch." Robin noted.

A dark hole penetrated the rocky wall, swallowing the wet sound of their steps and echoing it back as if the group were not alone in their dark explorations. The three stopped and stared into the void with varying levels of wariness. The dim amphibious light didn't penetrate the past the lip of the cavity, which made the darkness seem ever more so.

"There's another one on this side." Zoro spoke with a low voice. His hands reached up to grasp the hilts of his swords. More tunnels meant more openings for attack. The swordsman silently doubled his guard.

"And it looks like there's more up ahead." Luffy announced as he cast the light ahead searchingly.

"It seems as though our shortcut has become a labyrinth." Robin stated, seemingly untroubled by the turn of events.

Night-blind eyes tried to scan the area. Zoro frowned. The only disadvantage to their lucky source of illumination was the eyes grew accustom to it and refused to readjust when turned back to the darkness. Zoro slowly stepped backwards, making sure not to turn his back on the tunnel nearest him.

The extra caution seemed to heighten the swordsman's senses. Zoro cocked his head. It almost sounded like a new noise had been added to the clamoring din of before. It was subtle; couched in the brief pauses. Waiting, like an assassin.

The swordsman's back accidentally bumped into Luffy's own. Their light jiggled and cast strange shadows onto the walls, causing Zoro to tense. Luffy's hand quickly snaked out and grabbed onto Zoro's bicep-- whether to reassure his tightly strung first mate or to steady his own off balance form, Zoro didn't know. But the touch comforted him nonetheless. Zoro relaxed the white-knuckled grip on his swords.

"Well, what now?" He asked Luffy.

"Hmmm…." The teen hummed out thoughtfully.

"These side tunnels seem smaller than the one we are currently in." Robin called out from a small distance away. "And noticeably drier as well."

"But we don't know where they go." Zoro countered.

"Can you say for sure you know where this tunnel will lead us, Mr. Swordsman?" Robin asked lightly as she stepped back into the ring of illumination.

Zoro couldn't be sure of anything on this messed up island. Bugs that exploded, frogs that lit up, it was like a child's fairytale… or nightmare. It made the green-haired man uncomfortable to not have a ready answer to their problem. Unfortunately Zoro's level of comfort was often in direct proportion to his temper. Right now, the swordsman was seething.

"If I remember right it was _you_ who suggested we go this way in the first place." Zoro gritted out through clenched teeth.

Robin smiled, completely unrepentant as she smoothed back her raven-black hair. "_Touché_." She murmured lightly.

"Straight!" Luffy called out suddenly. Smiling, he turned his head back towards his companions. "We should go straight, since that's where we were heading anyway."

"You can't argue with that kind of logic." Robin looked at Zoro expectantly.

The swordsman harrumphed and jerked around, until he was once more staring at the broad band of his captain's hat. "Just keep an eye out. With all these tunnels we could be easily ambushed if we're not careful."

"Is Mr. Swordsman afraid that more toads may arrive?" Robin asked teasingly as they walked ever deeper through the main passageway.

"Can you just shut your trap for five minutes?" the swordsman growled out irritably, quickly loosing what little patience he had with the dark-haired woman.

Robin's sharp observation skills quickly noticed this. But there was little else to do in the underground burrow they had found themselves in. And without their sharp-tongued navigator to prickle, the archeologist was quickly becoming bored. She had thought an island of death would be a bit more exciting.

"Why?" Robin's asked with an innocence that didn't match her character. "I'm I bothering you?"

Ahead of them Luffy suddenly slowed. "Hey—" he began. But he was quickly cut off by Zoro's deeper voice.

"As a matter of fact you _are_." Zoro turned around until he was nose to nose with his antagonizer. "I didn't even want you along on this damn trip! You invited yourself!"

"Guys—" Luffy's voice tried vainly to break in, but Zoro had had enough.

"It's your fault were in this damn tunnel," Zoro stabbed the blunt tip of his finger into the dark-haired woman's shoulder. Robin's eyes narrowed imperceptivity. "Up to our elbows in grime, squeezing the life out of frogs just to—"

"Toads." Robin corrected him, her face carefully expressionless. Zoro glared at her, his eyes practically glowing red.

"HEY GUYS!" Luffy suddenly shouted. The sudden yell created a warbling echo that bounced about the tunnel mockingly.

"What?" Zoro bit out caustically, showing he was in no mood to spare even Luffy from his fury.

"The black stuff's getting warmer." Luffy pointed to the ground blandly.

"Who cares—" Zoro began, but stopped as his ears once again caught that faint sound from before.

"He's right." Robin kneeled down and dipped a finger into the oily residue at their feet. "We must not have noticed because of our boots. The liquid was quite cold before. Now, It's almost hot." The historian frowned, all trace of jesting vanished. "At this rate, it may be too dangerous to continue on this route."

"But I still think we should head straight." Luffy's pout was undermined by the fact that he was hopping from one leg to the other, vainly attempting to keep his feet from sinking into the faintly bubbling slime. "We'll be fine—"

"Quiet." Zoro commanded, his expression tense.

The sound was getting louder. And since they weren't moving, the source of the noise was most definitely coming to them. It was a dull, gurgling roar, like the rush of water through a pipe. The sound made the hairs on the back of the swordsman's neck stand straight up.

"What is it?" Robin asked seriously.

"We need to move." One of Zoro's hands came up and none-too-gently pushed the woman backward. "Into that tunnel, behind you." He ordered.

"But Zoro—" Luffy's protest was silenced as the green-haired man grabbed his forearm in a tight grip. Luffy took one look at his first-mate's expression before nodding. "Okay."

The rushing noise had reached a vociferous pinnacle as Zoro tossed the rubber boy back into Robin's outstretched hands. Ducking into the new tunnel's cramped perimeter, Zoro quickly drew his swords. Robin pulled Luffy's unresisting form back to a safe distance, as the black-haired boy seemed to be concentrating more on his partner's well being.

Zoro spun his swords into a fierce whirlwind of blades just as a flood of steaming hot oil surged through the main tunnel with deadly force. The swordsman grunted as the force of the liquid hit his swords like a giant sledgehammer. Gritting his teeth, Zoro kept up the blurring speed of his swords, blocking the opening from the bulk of the boiling-hot substance that reached greedily into their hideaway.

"It's still coming through!" Robin called out as a small wave washed under the swordsman's blades and swept past his legs. A stray stream of black splashed onto Zoro's arm, sizzling as it landed.

Luffy's face tightened in pain as the oil lapped over his sandals, but the captain did not for one moment take his eyes off his first mate.

"If I stop…" Zoro shouted back, his voice ragged and strained. "We're dead…"

"You won't be able to hold it back much longer." Robin foretold grimly as more oil leaked past the swordsman's wavering defenses. The historian could feel the heat of the dark substance, even through the thick leather of her boots.

Zoro grunted an agreement that he knew the other two probably couldn't hear. He didn't know how much longer the underground river was going to flow with such rage or even if the surge would stop at all. He felt his feet sliding backwards centimeter by centimeter, as the force of the burning liquid tried to push through. Growling, Zoro lifted his head up towards the jagged rocks that created the tunnel's roof. Just maybe….

"Get off the ground!" Zoro shouted out.

Luffy knew better than to question. The tunnel went suddenly dark as Luffy quickly stretched his arms out to grip the walls. His legs swept out and upwards, scooping Robin up into a makeshift safety net. Luffy's toes dug into the rough stone, the oil-coated digits scrabbling for purchase. Luffy's head craned backwards as he tried to find Zoro in the inky darkness.

"What could he be planning?" Robin wondered aloud. Luffy's frown was invisible to the historian who—being relatively new to the group—wasn't accustomed to Zoro's self mutilating heroics. Robin could only listen in confusion as Luffy's breath hissed in and out through clenched teeth.

The two suddenly heard the noise of two swords slicing deeply into hard and unforgiving stone. The swipe of blade against rock created a dazzling trail of sparks that briefly illuminated the stream of oil flowing below them, by some miracle not casting it ablaze. The dark liquid had risen nearly halfway up the tunnel walls as it reached mercilessly for the tail of Luffy's shirt.

"Zoro!" Luffy called out. He could only just make out the broad outline of his swordsman's back before the rain of sparks flickered out, rendering them blind was more. Luffy stared into the darkness futilely. He strained his ears for any word from his friend—a curse, a moan of pain, anything. The rubber boy bit his lip harshly, the self-inflicted wound having nothing to do with the strain of holding Robin and his own self aloft.

A loud crack echoed heavily through the small tunnel, followed by the rumbling sound of kilos of falling rock crashing heavily into the tunnel's floor. The sound invaded their impaired senses. Crushing into them with painful over-stimulation. Robin belatedly covered her ears, an extra set of hands quickly doing the same for her encumbered comrade. Their ears rang even after the tunnel fell into a dull silence. A silence that was immediately broken by Luffy's anxious voice.

"Oiy. Zoro?" Luffy called out in a piercing whisper, as if her were afraid to speak any louder. "Zoro?"

Robin's fingers clutched at Luffy's vest as she hung on stunned silence. Was the swordsman really gone? If she had known the green-haired man's plan, she could have used her powers to lift the Zoro up to safety, maybe. If only she could've seen…

A thick dust filled the air, making the dark-haired boy beneath her cough. The sudden movement loosened his tenuous grip on the wall and he and Robin both fell, with muffled gasps.

But instead of being boiled alive, the two found themselves laying safely precarious pile of crumbling stone. They both lay in a bruised pile of arms and legs, as the suddenness of their rescue slowly sunk in. Robin was the first to shake herself to her senses, realizing that their rescue might be temporary at most, especially if their swordsman had just accidentally buried them alive.

Robin carefully picked herself off her battered companion as Luffy rattled out a couple more weak coughs. Staring helplessly around in complete darkness, the historian fought to get her bearings. The woman tensed as she heard the scrabbling click of rocks grinding against one another. But a faint puff of air told her it was her captain standing rather than more of the roof collapsing, as she had feared.

The rubber boy didn't speak or call out but Robin felt him shuffling around, dragging a few of the looser rocks away from the cap of the tunnel. The only sound coming from Luffy's throat was the harsh rasp of his breathing, interspersed with the occasional grunt. Robin wanted to warn the headstrong captain of the possibility of a cave in should he continue his pursuit, but she honestly didn't feel it was her place.

Robin extended her fingertips out to brush against their barricade. She was shocked to discover the smooth texture of more than one beveled block of stone. It appeared their swordsman was careful even in his haste as nearly all the rocks collapsed into a solid, near impenetrable wall. Not a drop of oil could slide past this skillfully created defense.

A sudden glaring light caused Robin to wince. Luffy wordlessly approached her, the dull eyes of a salvaged toad gleaming much needed illumination onto their cramped surroundings. Small hills of crushed stone sat triumphantly atop onyx puddles of cooling oil, gradually increasing in size until the merge with the newly made wall the encapsulated the tunnel's entrance. Save for Luffy and herself, there wasn't a single other soul in sight.

Zoro was gone.

Luffy's face was void of expression as he handed Robin the glowing toad. The historian watched silently as the teen pulled his hat more firmly onto his head, hiding his eyes in shadow. Robin stared at him, not really knowing what to say. Expressing emotions really wasn't her strong point.

"Gomu, gomu…." Luffy's voice fell low and heavy from his lips. The Straw Hat captain's arm slowly drew backwards; fist aimed for the barricade.

A hand quickly appeared upon Luffy's back, staying his punch.

"The oil may still be surging through the main tunnel." Robin warned.

Luffy looked at her silently, his eyes as hard as the block of stone he sought to destroy. Not wanting to again invite a boiling death, Robin scanned her mind for the proper response. What would make a headstrong person such as Luffy see reason?

She could just knock the boy unconscious, Robin thought, but that would be inconvenient. Not to mention the painful repercussions she would receive upon his reawakening. Even her seasoned fighting experience would be no match for the angered fists of the Straw Hat Captain.

"It would take more than this" Robin spoke out clearly and evenly. "To defeat our master swordsman, would it not?"

Luffy slowly lowered his fist. Tilting his head back, he granted the archeologist a broad smile.

"You're right!" he chirped. Rolling his head about, the rubber boy raised his arms above him in a toe curling stretch. Sighing, Luffy turned an expectant eye towards the darkness behind them.

"Zoro knows where we're going." Luffy stated positively. Motioning Robin ahead of him, the rubber boy swiveled about and strode confidently down the unexplored tunnel. "He'll catch up."

Robin caste their light down the hole obligingly as she walked shoulder to shoulder with the cheerfully grinning boy. "I'm sure you are correct." She said encouragingly.

The two set a brisk pace, both eager to once again greet the light of day. Should their path lead them astray, the tower could just as easily be reached above ground. Robin watched her captain stride forward with the optimism of one who had cheated death yet once again.

She even made it a point to ignore it when the dark haired boy sent a single glance over his shoulder --towards the rubble behind him-- with a tiny line creasing between his eyebrows.

LZNUSCR


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter **_Five_**:

Nami's shirt was damp with sweat and her skin streaked with black by the time the entrance to the tower finally came into view. Nursing a number of scrapes on her hands, elbows and knees _and _suffering through the painful throbbing of a twisted ankle, the redhead had had better days, to say the least. But Nami plowed on stubbornly anyway and vowed to save he complaints until she could yell them out properly into a certain pirate captain's ear.

The dark edifice didn't seem that far away upon first glance. But the sun had lowered nearly twenty degrees since their little trio had started out. That didn't leave much time for them to find their lost companions and make it back to the ship before dark. The timeline Nami had silently set for them seemed ludicrous in retrospect. Especially since they hadn't seen one sign that Luffy and the others had taken a single step towards the stupid tower that had taken Nami's group nearly three hours to reach. And it would still take another thirty minutes or so of crab walking across the rock-covered vista before they finally reached the recessed double doors she had spotted through her binoculars.

It was mildly irritating to watch Sanji gracefully hop from boulder to boulder, not a single smear of oil on the chef's pristinely pressed suit. Poor Chopper. His thick fur was covered in it as he scrabbled forward in the relative safety of Nami's shadow. The doctor's senses were truly taking a beating in this polluted environment. He currently had one of Sanji's handkerchiefs tied around his nose to block out the worst of the smoke-choked air. But still the reindeer's eyes watered to the point that the other two would often have to backtrack because their diminutive friend had gotten himself turned around and ended up heading back the way they came.

But, Nami quietly admitted to herself, it was Sanji that concerned her more. The chef had been acting more than unusual lately. In particular, his attitude towards Nami herself. On more than one occasion, the redhead caught the chef watching her, his stare oddly ambivalent. While the blond's acrid temper was more than evident in reaction to the male members of the crew, never before had Nami seen Sanji's emotions run so hot and cold towards a lady. And never toward her.

This in no way meant that Sanji had been cruel to her. That idea was preposterous by definition. Sanji prided himself on being a gentleman, after all. But the love-crazed outtakes so often flung her way had all but vanished, replaced with a casual courtesy that seemed distant by comparison.

It didn't help that the cook still made those kinds of advances towards Robin, who accepted the heart-eyes and fluttering hands with detached amusement. Nami wasn't really jealous of the lack of attention; Sanji's lovesick antics had been tolerable, but only mildly entertaining, at most. But, she couldn't help but wonder what it was she had done to cause the sudden rift between them.

"You two okay back there?" Sanji called out from a couple of meters ahead.

Nami slid down one of the larger boulders, grimacing on the state her pants must be in. If Luffy were here, he would undoubtedly be pointing at the redhead's bottom and snickering about 'accidents'. The comment would probably be enough to crack a smirk on Zoro's stony face and then she'd have to say something about how many pairs of pants she'd be able to get with all the money the swordsman owed her.

Yeah. That would shut him up.

"Miss Nami?"

Nami quickly snapped out of her musings. Chopper was just now squeezing through a tiny hole created by the gap of two larger stones. The navigator kindly helped him to his feet before turning. Sanji had paused on a flat chunk of rock, his stance one of impatience mixed with concern. Nami summoned up a smile and waved.

"We're fine, Sanji dear!" She called out, her voice sugary sweet.

Sanji merely gave them a nod before turning about and continuing forward without a single offer of assistance. Staring after him, Nami frowned, her hand clenching unconsciously.

"Nami?" Chopper called out in a small voice. "Am I slowing you down?"

Nami knelt down in front of the little reindeer, using the tail of her shirt to wipe off a smudge of oil from Chopper's blue nose. She gave the doctor an encouraging smile as she adjusted his protective handkerchief.

"Of course not, Tony." Nami murmured. "Thank _you_ for not leaving _me_ behind."

As the reindeer squiggled in denied delight, Nami looked up towards Sanji's retreating back. The chef's yellow-gold hair was the only thing that kept him from blending in with this dark and stony environment.

Both inside, and out.

LZNUSCR

"It seems as though we have hit another proverbial fork in the road." Robin commented idly.

"Nah…" Luffy quickly waved her statement off. "It's just another tunnel." The rubber boy seemed a bit crestfallen about the lack of silverware-- since to him, eating utensils equaled food. And at this point, neither was in sight.

Robin coughed delicately in to her hand to hide her smile. It really was difficult to stay serious in the young man's presence. With a little concentration, an arm sprouted from the dark-haired boy's chest. Then, in turn, two separate arms appeared on it.

"Well, Mr. Captain. Should we choose left, right or straight?" The arms kindly pointed out the directions for added emphasis.

Luffy stared at the hands, then at the tunnels and back again to the hands. The rubber boy made a small sound of indecision. "What do you think, Robin?"

Robin carefully examined the options, casting the dull illumination of their solitary light source down each of the tunnels. "I'm afraid that being underground has somewhat dampened my sense of direction." She admitted truthfully. "But seeing as though the tunnel that goes left to right is nearly identical in size to the one that headed towards the tower, I would say it may be the most rewarding choice."

"Okay…" Luffy nodded. He looked back and forth questioningly. "So, left or right?"

Robin shook her head. "I think I will leave that for the captain to decide."

"Okay. Since _I'm_ the captain, hmm…" Luffy's forehead crinkled up with deep lines of concentration.

"Left." He called out firmly.

Robin nodded and the two Devil's Fruit users turned accordingly. Robin silently acknowledged to herself that the possibility of the event that caused the separation of their little group could indeed happen once again; this time without the aid of their lost swordsman. A sideways glance at her captain's face told Robin that Luffy hadn't forgotten the incident either, but he had apparently resolved to ignore it.

_'No use worrying about something you don't know will happen or not.' _Robin remembered him saying on more than one occasion. Mostly directed towards their navigator and sharpshooter --the resident worriers of the ship. The comment was a brash one, but Robin believed it had merit.

It was strange, but Robin felt herself wanting to break the silence of their little journey. It was an odd feeling. The historian couldn't discern whether it was for her captain's benefit or her own, but the secretive woman found her tongue loosening up slightly.

"You might be interested to note," She spoke aloud. And to her surprise, it quickly earned her Luffy's undivided attention. "That people who are lost habitually choose left." She finished, for some reason feeling…happier than before.

"Great!" Luffy's face broke out into that characteristic grin. "That means we're going the right way." The rubber boy paused. "I mean, the _left_ way. Is right. Right?" He scratched his head, having just succeeded in confusing himself.

A small chuckle found its way up Robin throat.

LZNUSCR

On nearly the opposite side of the island, a dark figure stared broodingly out at the ocean. The prevailing winds blew strongly, whistling in the ears and, temporarily at least, overriding the acrid scent of oil. The clouds rushed overhead, dark gray and thick, threatening to fall from the sky from their own weight. For one single moment, it felt as if the man was the only being left on the planet.

That was, until a harsh bite from a mosquito jarred that illusion quickly out of his head.

Muttering to himself, the figure turned around to face the towering structure behind him. A large drop of sweat formed on the man's brow as the distance between himself and said tower seemed to span out mockingly before him.

With slumped shoulders, the solid black figure started back towards the tower once more, angrily kicking at the rocky scenery as he moved along.

LZNUSCR

Sanji leaned with forced carelessness against the inner wall of the entryway. A slightly bent cigarette dangled unlit and unnoticed from his thinly pulled lips. Here, shadowed from the diluted light of day, did the blond finally let flee his raging thoughts. Had his teeth been supporting that thin stick of tobacco, he would have surely bitten it through, so hard was his jaw clenched. Even so, nary an expression crossed his pale face, not even a twitch. To Sanji, his darker emotions were his alone. And he was not about to share them with even the shadows.

The cook silently kicked himself for his earlier disregard of the others' well being. It would take a truly coldhearted bastard not to be worried about his companions after Nami's reluctant revelation. Men had died on this island; such a thing was not to be mocked.

So, yeah, he was somewhat worried, even for those two buffoons. His harsh words from earlier had been merely a reflex; a buffer to the hurt that stabbed into Sanji's chest every time Nami mentioned Luffy or Zoro's name. Luffy's was mostly from an irrational sort of jealousy that the blond suspected had deeper roots that he had thus far refused to pry at. Zoro… Well, that big idiot's name had managed to cause a painful twist in his gut each and every time he heard it; ever since _that_ time—

Sanji hastily shoved that thought away. He hated himself enough right now.

But the memory triggered the image of the next person on the list of people he's wronged. Nami… He had been particularly harsh to her as well. Not directly, but --like a coward-- he allowed his bruised feelings to control his actions. No real man would treat a lady like that; despite whatever feelings she had for him.

_'…Or lack thereof,'_ his mind supplied to him bitterly.

A flash of orange peaked out among the inky landscape, signaling that his companions had caught up with him at last. Straightening, the blond leisurely dug around for his lighter as Nami and Chopper gradually approached. Whatever sting of guilt that stabbed at Sanji at the sight of their rumpled appearance was quickly quashed in the flame that ignited the tip of his cigarette. A curtain of exhaled smoke effectively blanketed his conscious and Sanji turned away to examine the metal barricade that stood in the way of the possible reunion of the recently scattered Straw Hat Crew.

A cursory try of the handle proved that the doors were indeed locked, validating his earlier suspicions. So the next question was: What to do next? Knock? Or let himself in?

Sanji cracked a humorless smirk. It had been pretty evident by his own actions today, that he was in no mood to be courteous.

Chopper yelped in surprise as, with the tortured screech of twisted metal, the thick steel double doors exploded inward with the force of Sanji's powerful roundhouse kick. One of the doors blew off completely, landing with an echoing clatter a few meters into the tower's receding hallway. The remaining door squeaked jarringly back and forth on its only remaining hinge.

"Open sesame." Sanji bowed low before them, his arm swept out as if welcoming them into his own home.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nami exploded. "We have no idea what's in there! Why not tell the whole island we're here?" she hissed out like an angry cat.

Sanji shrugged. "We're not _going_ to know what is in the tower, unless we go in it. Am I correct?"

Nami's expression quickly froze and Sanji gave himself a congratulatory pat on the back.

"Oh…" With a wordless growl of exasperation, Nami gave the cook a harsh shove through the doorway. "Go on!" She pushed, fully prepared to use the blond as a human shield if need be. Chopper quickly scurried after them, his eyes darting out suspiciously to each and every shadow.

But, surprisingly, menacing shadows were few and far between. The passageway in which they stood it was spacious to say the least, with a high ceiling that peaked nearly ten meters over their heads. Small windows pierced the roof at even intervals, allowing diffused light to illuminate the sparkling motes of dust floating uncaringly through the air. The ceiling's supports lay bare as they traveled the length and breadth of the room, trailing down the adjacent walls and spilling down as support poles along the line of the corridor's apex.

The floor below their feet was solid, cold and gray, looking unbelievably as if it were hewn from a single slab of stone. Here and there hairline cracks appeared, giving way to small ruts of sand and gravel. Besides the recently relocated door, the room was stark and empty.

Sanji raised one curly brow. "Unless they meant the ugly architecture, I see no 'Metal Death' here."

Nami shook her head. "This place feels off somehow. Almost like a ghost ship."

"G-g-ghost?" Chopper squeaked out before deciding it would be safer to hide behind Sanji as well. The reindeer soon had a death grip on the blond's leg that would have made Usopp proud.

"It looks like this…" the cook scrabbled for the correct term "hallway turns the corner up to the left." He began walking forward, adjusting his gait to compensate for the newly added weight on his right leg. "It's obvious that Robin and those other two aren't here. We might as well keep looking."

"Maybe we should wait h-here until they come back." Chopper suggested meekly. However scary this room appeared, it still seemed better that wandering about into potentially _scarier_ areas.

Nami's face was grim as she pointed behind to their oily footprints. "Those are the only sign that anyone has ever been here. It's possible that the owner of this tower likes to keep things clean. But, more than likely, wherever Luffy and the rest are, they haven't been here."

Chopper tried to hide his sniffle in Sanji's pants leg. "They why are _we_?" he mumbled.

Nami frowned, deep in thought. "Chopper's right. This was the only entrance into the tower that we saw." The redhead absently rubbed at the goose bumps appearing on her arms. "Maybe we should look somewhere else." Chopper quickly nodded his agreement.

"Like where?" Sanji flicked his cigarette away irritably. "This tower is the only damn thing on this island."

"I do hope you're not planning to leave just yet." A voice --much like the sound of a two stones grinding together-- intoned sadly.

The three companions whirled around to see a man standing where no man was there just seconds before. Barely a meter and a half tall and nearly half that in width, this man didn't seem the type to move with the silence that it would have taken to sneak up upon the edgy Straw Hat Crew.

"It's been quite a while since I last had any visitors. To tell you the truth I've been a bit lonely."

The trio studied the man with varying degrees of wariness (Chopper had dove up into Sanji's jacket at the man's first words and now hung with a leech-like tenacity to the blond's back.)

Bristly, steel-gray hair hung down from beneath a battered Marine's combat helmet, blending in with the man's walrus-like mustache in two thick braids that ended in small pink bows. Tattered coveralls peaked out from beneath an oil-stained lab coat, which was so long it brushed the along the stone floor when the man shifted. The last defining characteristics for this odd little man were two white scars crossing up from mid-jaw line to disappear behind a pair of thick, black sunglasses.

All off these contrasting images left the pirates nearly-mute as their brains try to decide whether they should feel threatened or not. The Marine's symbol was worrying. But, really, pink bows?

The haggard looking old man shrugged off their silence like a man used to talking to himself. "Is it just the three of you? I wouldn't think that such a small group could make it this far into the Grand Line."

"Umm, no. There are a couple of others." Nami spoke hesitantly, unwilling to divulge too much information. "That's why we're here, actually."

"And just who might you be, old man?" Sanji asked in a carefully neutral tone. Growing up under the care of Red-Leg Zeff taught the cook not took take harmless looking old men lightly. Not if one wanted to survive with their organs intact, at any rate.

"Are you a M-marine?" Chopper squeaked out from beneath his well-tailored shield.

Nami shot the two a glare for their rudeness. She quickly gave the old man a disarmingly sweet smile. "A few of our friends got separated from the group. I don't suppose you've seen them?"

'_Their combined bounty totals over two-hundred million beli.'_ Nami silently told herself_. 'Making them either a Marine's wet dream… or their worst nightmare. Either way, it would be best to keep a low profile for now.'_ No need to mention the fact that they were pirates. No need at all.

"I was once a Marine captain, aye. But that was long ago. Now I'm just plain old Denbis Machinton. Emphasis on the _old_." The man joked, the glare off his sunglasses twinkling oddly. "As for your friends, I'm afraid you --three, I assume, from the voice under your jacket-- are the first people I've seen in over three months."

"Oh…"

Nami seemed to deflate slightly, at a loss for what to say next. Sanji lit up another cigarette, his eyes not leaving the portly old man. Something about the old geezer tugged at some far corner of his brain, like an itch he couldn't scratch. The blond found himself focusing on those painfully pink bows with growing irritation. Chopper, taking the silence as a safe sign, had loosened his grip on the cook's shirt and slipped silently to the floor.

"What's this, now?" Machinton asked suddenly. Chopped squeaked in fear and tried to hide behind Sanji's leg as he suddenly became the sole focus of this mysterious stranger.

"In all my days, never before have I laid witness to such an creature." The old man whispered in awe as he bent low to take a closer look. "Do tell me, is it the one who spoke earlier?"

Chopper exploded into human form, knocking Sanji sideways a good couple of paces. "I'm not an '_It'_!" the doctor growled, incensed. "I'm a reindeer!"

Machinton stared up at Chopper's looming form, seemingly more delighted than afraid. "A reindeer? Marvelous!" The old man clasped his hands together in what could be called childlike glee. "Tell me, fine creature, do you have a name?"

Chopper looked hesitant, unused to this kind of reaction. Most of the time people just screamed out _'Monster!_' and ran. The other percent also screamed monster, but then _they_ tried to kill him. Really it was a tough world out there for Zoan types. Dumbfounded, the timid reindeer shrunk back down into his normal diminutive form.

"Ch-chopper." He squeaked. "My name. It's Tony Tony Chopper."

"He's our doctor." Nami boasted proudly, enjoying seeing her furry friend squirm. "And a good one, at that." She added.

"Really now?" Chopper watched nervously as, with a couple of creaks and groans, Machinton knelt down before him. Reaching out a gnarled hand, the old man clasped the reindeer's hoof in a hearty grip.

"Well then, Dr. Chopper." The old man rumbled out in a kind voice. "It is my fine pleasure to meet an extraordinary being such as yourself. I hope you'll forgive my earlier rudeness and, if you see fit to talk about yourself, know that I would be most willing to hang on your every word."

Chopper's lips quivered as he fought off a smile, all the while his body wiggled betrayingly. "Stop…" the reindeer giggled. "It's not as if accept your apology….Jerk ass… your fancy words don't make me happy…"

Machinton looked up, his expression befuddled.

"He's accepted your apology." Nami translated with amused smile. "And your words made him _very_ happy."

"Shut up!" Chopper squirmed happily. "Asshole."

"Old man," Sanji spoke up finally, his voice impassive. "We have reason to believe this island's not some vacation getaway. So how come someone like you is here?"

"_Sanji!"_ Nami hissed warningly. Giving an apologetic laugh, the redhead cleared her throat self-consciously. "I'm sorry, Mr. Machinton. Sanji's just a bit worried about our missing companions."

"Like hell…" Sanji muttered.

"Shut up…" Nami growled.

"It's quite all right." Machinton said complacently as he waved the down from what seemed to be the beginnings of a heated match of words. "Looking at this old place, it's no wonder your blond friend here doesn't trust me." Machinton painstakingly rose to his feet, Chopper automatically moving in to help.

"If you three would kindly follow me to my study, I'd be happy to mollify your worries."

Nami smiled tiredly, after shooting Sanji one last glare. "Thank you Mr.—"

"Ah, Professor, if you please." Machinton corrected. "I've had too much schooling to be a mere mister."

"Professor, it is then." Nami quickly recanted with a nod. With a pleading glance behind her for the others to be quiet, she moved in the wake of the old man's retreating steps.

The truth was; Nami didn't trust this old guy anymore that Sanji did. But with Luffy and the others still missing, their only hope of finding them was getting information from someone who actually knew the island. If they could just bluff their way through this, they might get off this island without having to run into that metal something-or-other that seemed to have created a reputation for itself for murdering pirates.

The only problem was keeping the fact that they _were_ pirates a secret. Machinton didn't look like a fool. It was fairly obvious that normal people didn't just go sailing about on the Grand Line.

_'Oh well.'_ Nami sighed to herself. _'Let's just hope that, as he said, the professor no longer considered himself a marine.' _

Which would –-by default—make him their enemy.

LZNUSCR


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter **_Six_**:

Sunset was a horrific display of red blood and dark purple bruising that faded quickly into the weird green-black of a cloud covered night. The familiar sounds of surf crashing onto sand weren't present, replaced by a revolting squelching noise as one oil covered surface collided with another. Everything was very much like any other night at sea, but at the same time it was different. Everything was skewed and distorted; like in a dream.

Or a nightmare…

Usopp stared out into the descending darkness with growing dread. For one thing, it was getting dark. And, more importantly, Usopp was still alone. None of his fellow companions had returned. Put the two situations together and the world suddenly shrunk into a background of menacing sounds and lurking shadows.

To put it succinctly, Usopp was scared out of his wits.

Which made it difficult to explain just what he was doing in a sawed off barrel half, using Sanji's best bread peel to paddle himself towards the island's shore.

Usopp gritted his teeth as he dug the oversized wooden spatula deeper into the flotsam-coated water. Even with the tide beginning to rise, the waves only sluggishly pushed him towards the shore. The night air was cool but Usopp still broke a sweat. After all, sharp shooting wasn't exactly the most physically exerting of attack styles.

But it was clear that his friends needed him. Why else wouldn't they send someone back to give Usopp the 'all's well'? An inconsiderate bunch they might be, but his friends weren't cruel. They wouldn't just let Usopp stew in his thoughts of uselessness and cowardice…

Would they?

Frowning, Usopp shook his head. They _had_ to be in trouble. Nothing else made sense.

Usopp swung his makeshift oar around to the other side, adjusting his course to keep from being pulled too far down the beach. It wouldn't do for the rescuer to get lost. That kind of thing was Zoro's job.

The tower stood out even blacker in the darkness, yet at the same type seemed lit by it's own strange luminosity that made the smoke-formed clouds above it glow with a strange, iridescent pink. Swallowing heavily, Usopp glanced longingly back at the comforting silhouette of the Going Merry, with it's one single lantern burning like a beacon to whatever lost companions may be searching for it.

But Usopp just wouldn't feel like a man if he merely sat safely on the ship like and old sheepdog waiting for the flock to return on it's own. No matter what he told Nami, at some point it was the dog's job to protect the sheep from wolves.

The reason he became a pirate was to learn to become a great warrior of the sea – like his father. By facing this dangerous situation head one, he was proving to himself and everyone that he had the guts to follow his dreams. Too long he had tagged along on his friends coattails. Tonight, it would be his turn to lead the way.

Which was precisely why he had nearly half of Sanji's fiercer looking kitchen utensils strapped to his back.

With one final push from the tide, Usopp's barrel hit sand and the sharpshooter jumped out, his impressive arsenal of cutlery held at ready. Figuring the longer he stayed in one place, the less likely he would find his companions before something else found _him_ (which was something Usopp definitely didn't want). So the dark-haired boy lit the stub of candle in the small glass box tied to his forehead and – with this little glow of illumination—he started towards the tower in a loping jog meant to cover the distance quickly without giving the impression that he was running for his life.

But good impressions were soon tossed to the wind when he heard a growl and an eerie, almost familiar sound. It was a sound ice would make: if it could hiss.

The sound was right behind him now. Usopp tilted his head back just enough to catch sight of a looming figure, seemingly cut out from the darkness itself. Whimpering in terror, Usopp lunged forward, intending to make a run for it.

He almost made it.

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"I'm really sorry about your doors, Professor." Nami spoke apologetically as she sipped her tea politely. The drink was cold and bitter and for all Nami knew it wasn't even tea. But the redhead wasn't going to offend their host until a she had gotten a firmer grip on their current situation.

Nami shot Sanji a sideways glare as the blonde took a drink and then grimaced before sliding the chipped cup towards the center of the table. Chopper's cup was untouched, too interested was he in the various knick-knacks scattered about the circumference of Machinton's study. The professor himself sat across from them in some sort of small round hammock that was supported by a series of metal legs. It looked downright uncomfortable but the old man sighed as if he were just sinking into a luxurious bath.

Plastering on a smile, Nami's gaze switched back to the old man, her voice laced in sugar. "I do hope there can be some way to resolve this mishap without there being any charge..." she trailed off hopefully.

Ex Marine or not, Nami wasn't coming up off of even one beli if she didn't have to.

"Nonsense." Machinton waved her concerns away. "It's an easy fix for my machins."

"Machins?" Chopper hopped forward, his face alight with curiosity. "What are they?"

Machinton beamed with pride. "They are my creations. They help me run my factory and, in turn, my factory gives them life."

"Are they people?" Chopper asked, confused yet impressed by the Professor's obvious sense of pride. "Or animals?"

"No, no. None of the sort." The old man shook his head. "They are—"

"Some sort of mechanical device." Nami supplied quickly, her brain jumping to the only logical conclusion.

"Yes, I suppose you could call them that." Machinton bristled slightly. "As much as you could call a fine sculpture a lump of stone."

Desperate to stay on the ex-marine's good side, Nami hurriedly apologized for her inadvertently rude comment. By now Chopper was bouncing up and down, stars sparkling around him as he begged to see the wondrous devices. Sanji stayed silent, worrying the butt of a cigarette with his teeth, as he watched the professor with a hooded gaze.

Machinton laughed and waved down the reindeer's excited requests.

"Of course, of course. But it's getting late. I should be showing you to your new rooms."

Sanji picked up the odd phrasing at once. "New rooms?"

"Yes. There are plenty back down the corridor we just come from. Enough for each of you, and your missing comrades, with plenty of rooms to spare. You can have your pick."

"That's very kind of you, Professor." Nami said as she rose from her seat. "But we really prefer staying on our own ship. We left someone watching over it you see, and he'll get worried if we don't come back."

"Stay on the ship? Nonsense." Machinton shook his head so hard his braided mustache swung around him like loosened mooring ropes. "I can't allow you all to stay huddled on some boat while it rots from underneath you."

A long, choking silence followed as realization was slow to set in.

"Rots?" Sanji stood up, and odd feeling of alarm constricting around his chest. He turned to Nami.

The redhead's eyes were wide with horror.

"Professor, just how long does it take the Log Pose to set to the next island?" Nami's voice was rattled and tight.

Machinton stared back, unmoved by the other's distress. "As near as I can calculate, it takes something like twenty-three years."

Sanji's unlit cigarette fell from his gaping mouth, dropping unnoticed to the floor.

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"I believe we are headed upward." Robin said at last, after what seemed like hours of sloshing blindly through a series of endless caverns.

The grime beneath their feet gradually diminished as the angle of the irregularly shaped passage in which they traveled slowly increased to a distinct diagonal slant. Robin felt a slight burn in the muscles of her thighs, a clear indication that they were in fact traveling uphill --in a manner of speaking.

"It is difficult to be sure in this light," Robin squeezed the illumi-toad only gently, as the creature was beginning to look quite tuckered out. "But it also seems like our tunnel has been widening."

"Does that mean we're almost at the end?" Luffy asked, his voice lilting hopefully. The Mystery Tunnel had been exciting for a while, but its novelty soon ran out. Luffy was ready for something new to look at; that hopefully wasn't made up of grease and rock.

"I believe so." Robin replied, a gratified smile touching her lips.

It was not too long ago that Luffy had apparently given up on trying to fill the silence with shouting, singing and storytelling that had echoed down the passage like beads bouncing around in a glass. All of his stories were ultimately silly, of course, but Robin had latched on to them nonetheless, her historian's fingers itching to pull on the threads of Luffy's tales to see just what kind of tapestry they lead to.

But her captain was shrewder than he appeared as he spun out memories that said much and yet nothing at the same time.

Luffy first spoke of funny incidents from childhood – both before and after his consumption of the Gomu Gomu fruit. But fairly quickly his tales switched to ones involving his current companions. The incidents in question must have been terrifying for Luffy's friends at the time, but hearing it laced with Luffy's bright enthusiasm had made the obvious trials seem like one grand party. Robin felt oddly at peace as he had recounted one adventure after another.

Never did he speak of anything serious, or meaningful; Luffy seemed to protect his inner emotions with all the seriousness of which he guarded his precious hat. But, nevertheless, Robin could feel the emotions Luffy carried for his crew. Each name was offered up in a warm blanket of affection that stood out starkly in the incredulous tales the captain wove.

Some deeply hidden part of Robin's consciousness wondered wistfully if, had someone else stood in her place in the winding tunnel, Luffy would have spoken of her in the same way.

Luffy's adventures with his shipmates slowly narrowed in to focus solely on a particular swordsman. The stories became more detailed and colorful and, though his tone never changed, it seemed as if Luffy could never run out of things to say about his first mate. It was clear that what she had witnessed at the mouth of the tunnel was just the shallow edge of a deep and expansive pool of emotions.

"It sounds as if Mr. Swordsman is most important to the captain…." Robin had teased, a move that would have no doubt had Zoro red and cursing, had he been present.

What she had not expected was for Luffy to laugh agreeably only to suddenly lapse into a heavy silence, his previous animation vanishing much like the swordsman had; with stomach jerking feeling of absence.

Robin struggled to understand the unusual shift in her captain's behavior. Was he still uncertain of the swordsman's fate? No, she decided. Luffy carried far too much confidence in his first mate's abilities for that to be the case. Unobtrusively, Robin studied the play of shadows across her companion's face, as if trying to decipher a particularly complicated rune.

What Robin was sure of was that the silence around her captain had an eerie, blanketed feel: the absence of his laughter tragic in some way. The ensuing emptiness left her regretting her carefully worded barb, no matter how harmless it was intended.

But at the visual signs of the end to their subterranean travels, Luffy had once more reverted to his regularly elastic self, both physically and mentally. The brooding silence disappeared as if it was never even there and, in turn, the heavy weight on Robin's heart lifted. That vanishing weight stunned her for a moment, as she hadn't even known it existed.

Something about this young man had the effect of wringing emotions out of archeologist that she had thought long buried, leaving her unsteady and confused. Robin wasn't sure she liked this new discovery but resolved to reflect on it at a later time and place that was removed from their current situation.

They had just breached the mouth of the tunnel.

"Fhew!" Luffy's rubber limbs stretched wide. "I was really starting to feel cramped in there!"

So involved was he in his newfound comfort that he failed to immediately notice the panorama that was currently holding Robin's astonished gaze. Twisting and popping his neglected appendages, Luffy sighed happily. Only then did he notice the lack of sky above their heads.

"Whoa…" Luffy whistled as he finally looked around. "It's huge!"

An enormous cavern stretched out before them, like an air bubble caught underground. Layered strata of rock rose up to a cap far above their heads only to fall like water towards the center of the cave, becoming a gigantic support pillar that seemed to visibly groan under the weight pressed over it.

"It's like a great big doughnut…" Luffy murmured in awe, his stomach giving a churning growl that echoed the sentiment. Luffy's eyebrows drew together in a puzzled frown. "But, if we're still underground, how come we can see?"

Robin opened her mouth to reply but was silenced as the sound like a hundred rusty doors opening echoed across the cavern. Forced into muteness by the deafening din, Robin wordlessly pointed up.

Dozens of illumi-toads sat on a series of ledges that circumvented the cavern walls, their spacing too even to be natural. Their eyes burned with day-bright intensity as they each stared out in a slightly different direction that provided enough light to illuminate the entire cavern.

These toads were easily ten times the size of the creatures they had seen previously, their monstrous bulk nearly flowing over their precarious stone perches. Again the monsters erupted in a series of bone-vibrating croaks and the smaller toad Robin carefully held in one hand suddenly slipped free and hopped away, quickly disappearing from view.

Robin ran her fingers over the wall behind them, feeling out its tale with an expert touch. "This cave is not natural…you can clearly see tool-marks across the harder layers of sediment." The archeologist let out a silent whistle. "This must have taken years…."

"Huh…." Luffy looked down from his perch next to a particularly large toad, pausing in his own poke-filled exploration. His brow rose in disbelief as he gave the cave a second glance. "Well, it certainly is big and cool and all, but why would anyone want to spend all their time digging a hole?" Beside his, the illumi-toad croaked in what Luffy decided was an agreeable manner.

Robin studied their surroundings with a critical eye, searching for some telltale sign of motive. "There is generally only one reason for someone to dig so thoroughly," she drawled out slowly, as if unsure of her own hypothesis.

"And what's that?" Luffy asked as he jumped back to ground level.

"There was something in the ground that they wanted."

Robin stared around at the hollow space that enclosed around them.

"Very badly." she added.

LZNUSCR


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

"Twenty three years?" Nami's voice was a choking shriek that sent Chopper diving beneath the couch cushions. The redhead made as if to rise but her shaking legs refused to hold her and she dropped back into her seat like a marionette with its strings cut. Filled with a weakness born by terror, Nami stared at the old man pleadingly, silently begging him to take the words back.

"I'm afraid so, yes." Machinton confirmed gravely. Leaning forward, he rested his gnarled hands on his knees. Though his eyes were hidden behind his dark glasses, they could feel his gaze penetrate each one of them in turn. "And without the wood for maintenance, there is no way your ship would survive the level of deterioration that amount of time would cause; even if it were dry docked. Better to dismantle it now so as to use the materials for more important things."

Sanji sat, frowning and at a loss for words. Nami gnawed on a fingernail, her expression troubled. Chopper stuck his head out of the couch, his eyes wide with panic. Dismantle the Going Merry? The very idea was preposterous. But all knew the old man's words ran true. Without the Log Pose setting, trying to leave this island was like a death sentence. The very idea was so frightening that twenty-three years seemed less horrifying, if only slightly.

"What are we gonna do?" Chopper squeaked.

"It is your decision, of course." Machinton said kindly. "As welcome as the company might be, I would not hold you here against your will. Even if it was for your own benefit."

Chopper's gaze darted from Nami to Sanji and back again, waiting for some brilliant solution to this problem. The reindeer knew that there was no way he could spend years on this dreadful, lifeless island. He would go mad. The part of him that was still wild and undomesticated: that part shriveled at the very thought.

"We need to find Luffy and Zoro." Nami stated slowly, after a moment's thought.

"Bullshit!" Sanji jumped up and kicked his chair angrily, sending the heavy fixture squealing across the floor. Everyone stared at him, stunned.

Sanji jammed his hands in his pockets to hide his clenching fists. "Would you just forget about those two idiots for a minute?" he growled pleadingly. "They're not going anywhere. And neither are we, unless you can figure out a way to get us off this island."

"Me?" Nami shot back, her eyes flaring with anger. "Why don't you try thinking for yourself for once?"

"You're the navigator! You were the one who brought us here!"

Cringing, Chopper tried his best to bury himself beneath the cushions; but was unable to do more than muffle the sharp voices flying around like deadly bullets overhead. The reindeer cried out in alarm as a hand reached into his nest of relative safety and pulled him free.

"Why don't we give these two some privacy?" Machinton said gently as he sat the diminutive doctor on the floor. "It seems like this is something best worked out without an audience."

Chopper glanced at the angry faces of his friends and nodded. He let the professor shuffle him out the door, his face a picture of misery. He didn't know how to deal with these human emotions that burned in his companion's heart and struck out like a whip to hurt whoever stood closest. Sniffling, Chopper stumbled out of the room.

"I'm afraid I've given your friends quite a shock." Machinton said apologetically.

He and Chopper walked back down the corridor towards the tower's entrance. To the left and right dozen of doors sat. Behind each was an identical looking living quarter, with complete with beds, showers and kitchens. An army could live here comfortably; there were that many rooms. Chopper had only seen a small part of the building, but was already amazed by the sheer size of the place.

The overpowering stench of oil was muted indoors, giving the reindeer's nose a much needed break. But there was still something in the air that troubled Chopper. He couldn't pinpoint it, exactly. It was a faint, underlining odor that trailed behind the sharp tang of metal coming from the tower. It had just the faintest whiff of decay…

"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything." Machinton added. "But they would have had to learn the truth eventually." He tugged at his mustache braids, looking uncomfortable.

"No, no…it's alright, I promise!" Chopper hurried to reassure the old man. "We've been in tighter spots than this so I'm sure everything will turn out fine." The reindeer sounded fearfully hopeful.

Machinton stared down at him. "You are truly a unique individual, Doctor."

Chopper danced about, an arm behind his head and a smile stretching across his face. "Shut up! That doesn't make me happy! Asshole!"

The old man laughed.

"So, you've been on this island for a long time?" Chopper asked, after a moment's reflection.

Machinton hummed his assent. "Over forty years this spring."

Chopper's eyes widened. "That long?" Chopper's lower lip quivered with sympathy. "Have you been alone, all this time?"

"I had many comrades, in the beginning. Each one of these rooms you see was filled with life and laughter." Machinton continued to walk forward, his expression far away.

Curious and feeling somewhat guilty for it, Chopper pressed on, his short legs scrambling to keep up with the Professor's rolling stride.

"What happened to them?"

"Twenty-three years passed. The log pose set, and the ones that remained left aboard a makeshift ship, created in secret behind my back." Machinton grimaced, looking pained. "Even though our research was making such progress on this island! They took off without a word."

Chopper had been doing a lot of thinking about the island they had landed on and it's present state. "W-what—" Chopper began hesitantly, afraid of offending their host. "What was this island like? Before?"

Machinton looked down at the reindeer with a kind smile, though his sunglasses only reflected Chopper's distressed face back to him. "Not to worry, young Doctor. There was nothing living here."

Chopper found himself sighing in relief.

"The island was nothing but ice and snow," Machinton added as they continued down the corridor.

Eyes wide, Chopper jerked to a stop, feeling like he'd been kicked in the stomach. The feeling hit him so hard that, for a moment, he couldn't even breathe.

"Doctor?" Machinton shuffled to a stop and looked back questioningly.

The tortured scream of metal saved the reindeer from explanation. Chopper squeaked in shock and fright as the metal grate he stood on popped out of its moorings and flew into the air, taking the reindeer with it. Screaming wildly, Chopper tried to prepare to become reindeer filling in a sandwich between the heavy metal grate and the wall. But, though he braced himself, the impact never came. Instead the diminutive pirate found himself cradled gently in a set of arms that had sprouted directly from the stonework. The hands plucked him out of the way just as the grate slammed into the wall with a crash that vibrated down the corridor.

"At last!" A victory cry emerged from the hole the grating had once covered.

A slimy black figure hopped out with a relieved laugh, hands on his hips and straw hat sitting on his head in surprisingly pristine condition.

"You need to be more cautious, Captain." A second figure admonished as it climbed out of the opening. Somewhat less covered in grime, the figure stood, gracefully brushing her dark hair aside.

"You almost caused our Doctor to meet a most unfortunate end." Robin chided, releasing said doctor from her Devil's Fruit hold.

"Ehh?" Luffy glanced around, belatedly taking in his surroundings. "Chopper!" he cried and pounced on the furry creature.

"Lu-luffy! Robin!" Chopper fought his way out of the hug, popping free easily due to the oil that practically coated the hyper-active captain. "We were looking everywhere for you. I'm so glad you're both okay!" His eyes widened and he suddenly hopped around the two, sizing their conditions up critically. "You _are_ okay, aren't you?" the doctor asked worriedly.

Luffy flexed his arm proudly. "Neehee, of course!"

"Are the others with you?" Robin asked as she bent down to smooth Chopper's smudged and dirty fur.

"Usopp stayed be behind to protect the ship."

Robin's lips twitched, but she made no comment.

"Sanji and Nami are in a room down the hall. They're…err…talking." Chopper winced at the memory and Robin raised a delicate eyebrow.

"What about Zoro?" Luffy cut in excitedly. "Where is he?"

Chopper looked from Robin to Luffy, confused. "I-I'm not sure…" he answered hesitantly. "I thought he was with you."

Luffy's grin deflated into something more stone-faced and harder to read. Robin's lips pursed and she watched their captain with sharp eyes as she unconsciously continued to pet the reindeer. Watching them, Chopper felt a lump rise up his throat.

"Is something wrong? Did…did something happen to Zoro?" he demanded in a squeaky voice.

Luffy stared down at him for a moment, causing the hackles to raise on the reindeer's neck. Suddenly the smile was back, Luffy's grin splitting his face as per usual.

"Nah! You know Zoro."

"We were separated." Robin clarified in a distant voice, still watching the rubber boy carefully.

Thinking of Zoro's lack of direction skills, Chopper could easily believe the explanation.

Noticing the professor, Luffy quickly changed the subject. "Who are you?" he asked bluntly.

All eyes turned to stare at the old man.

"Professor Machinton." he introduced himself curtly, looking as if he had just been ripped from thoughts far away.

"Denbis Machinton?" Robin sounded surprised.

"You know him?" Chopper asked in shock.

"Impossible…" The professor rumbled out.

"I know of him." Robin studied their host intently. "A powerful Marine general and one of the most famous scientists of Gol Roger's time. Among many things, he created the DenDen Mushi."

"This Walrus-guy?" Luffy jerked his thumb toward Machinton in disbelief.

"The very same." The professor muttered, a vein throbbing from the less than complementary nickname. "You certainly know your history, young woman." Machinton's voice was a combination of pride and grudging acknowledgement.

Robin smiled mysteriously. "It's my job."

The Professor harrumphed, though with a hint of a smile on his craggy face. "No use standing around in drafty corridors. Shall we rejoin your friends?"

Chopper remembered the looks on Nami and Sanji's faces. "Umm…maybe we should give them a few more minutes." Sweat trickled between the reindeer's eyes, and he could smell his own fear underneath all the oil-smell. "Can we go look at you machins instead, Professor?"

"Certainly." Machinton stroked one long mustache. "I always enjoy showing off my work. This way, please." he motioned, brushing past Luffy brusquely.

"What's a machin?" Luffy asked. "Is it food?"

"You'll see…" Machinton smirked.

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Nami had waited until the door closed behind Chopper and the Professor. Then she whirled on Sanji, her face flushed with fury.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded. "You've acted like a royal jerk ever since we landed on this island. What exactly is your problem?"

"My problem is that you don't seem to want to take a shit—" Sanji seemed to wince at his own crude words. "--without seeking the approval of the Wonder Twins. You smarter than those two dumb-asses put together, and you know it! You talk to me about thinking for yourself. I think you need to take your own advice."

A tense minute of silence passed.

"In case you've forgotten," Nami bit the words out slowly as she fought to keep herself under control. "Luffy is our captain. And he and Zoro are the strongest fighters we've got."

"Does this look like a battlefield?" Sanji spread his hand wide, gesturing to the disorderly but cozy study.

Nami clutched her head as if it pained her. "Didn't you hear what I told you? The words written about this island? There is something sinister here; I know you've felt it just as I have. It's dangerous to be separated like this. If Luffy and Zoro were here—"

"They could charge in and save the day as always, right?" Sanji shouted, a note of pain creeping into his voice.

Nami stared at Sanji as if seeing him for the first time. "You—you're jealous. Of them…."

Sanji turned away, unable to face her. "Did you ever think that maybe, I want you to look to _me_ to save yo—us." He amended hastily, but Nami caught the slip all the same.

"Sanji…." Nami began in a tone that cut straight through Sanji's heart.

"Don't!" the blond cut her off harshly. "You've got your valiant knights. I know you'll never look at me the same as you do those two. I'll never be a hero in your eyes…I'm just a shitty love cook…."

Nami didn't know what to say. Sanji was far more than a mere cook-- she knew that. But right now no words would come to mind to make him believe her. Nami fell back into the sofa and stared at her clenched hands. Sanji continued to stand, staring unseeing at the shelf of junk in front of him. They remained that way, drowning in silence, until the door swung open once more.

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"So cool!"

Luffy watched the little machins intently, his eyes sparkling. Barely a meter tall and made completely of metal, Machinton's inventions resembled giant shiny crabs. They moved around on one wheel, able to change direction instantly with the assistance of six slender 'legs' that hovered out just above the ground. A large bucket rested on their backs, holding various tools, nuts and bolts. The machins each bore two claw-like appendages. The small seemed to be for tasks that required a certain amount of precision. The larger claw was obviously for the more laborious tasks. Just one machin could lift one of the heavy iron doors on its own, holding it upright with apparent ease as two other machins beat out the dents and reattached the door to the wall.

"I thought your doors were ruined after what Sanji did to them." Chopper stood next to the professor, the same sparkles as Luffy's surrounding him. "What a wonderful invention!"

"Indeed." Machinton stroked his mustache with pride. "Each one able to lift over 500 kilos yet their movements are so precise they can even thread a needle, should I need them to."

"What makes them move?" Luffy asked gleefully, sitting cross-legged atop the second door, which was currently being lifted by a fourth machin.

"Please don't get in the way young man."

With a stretch of his arms, Luffy grabbed at one of the support poles high overhead and lifted himself off the door to hang in the air, like some gangly-armed primate. Robin noticed that the Professor didn't seem the least bit shocked by the rubber-boy's inhumanly elastic feat. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"To answer your question, my machins run on a highly refined form of oil, which I produce here on this island."

"So that was what all the noise was…" Robin murmured, almost to herself. "This tower is actually a factory. And the tunnels below were from some sort of oil mine."

Machinton leveled her with a piercing look. "Very dangerous business down there. Among other things, it serves as a drain for the oil dregs left over from the refining process. You two could have been seriously injured, or worse. I should think that a smart woman such as yourself would have known better than to go gallivanting around someone's gutters without permission."

"My apologies…" Robin inclined her head slightly. "There was something else in the tunnels along with us. A form of toad with glowing eyes… I presume they are your work as well?"

"My, my, you _are_ a sharp one." Machinton rumbled. "Those would be the DenDen Kari. One of my first experiments from when I arrived on this island. Like the DenDen Mushi, they run using living creatures as their base. As such, they are naturally inclined to the warmth and darkness of the tunnels."

"Walrus-guy made the mystery toads? You're cooler than I thought!" Luffy exclaimed laughingly as he whizzed by, Chopper flying past seconds behind.

Machinton's eyebrow twitched. "Young Lady, would you please ask your companions not to race on my machins?"

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"Now that I've satisfied your curiosity towards my inventions, let us return to my study to collect your other companions so I can show you to your quarters for the night."

The machins had finished the repairs to the doors and were now cleaning up, whizzing around with miniature mops and brooms, using their buckets as waste bins as they erased all traces of the Straw Hat's forced entry. DenDen Kari had to be bought out to light the work area, leaving everywhere else cast in shadow.

"We still have companions we need to contact." Robin explained.

"It's far to dark to do any of that now." Machinton protested. "You'll break your necks trying to travel those rocks at night. Your companions should be fine until morning."

"We need dinner…" Luffy moaned as he clenched his stomach. "Does Mr. Walrus have food?"

"What about Usopp and Zoro?" Chopper asked worriedly.

"Our dear Long-nose probably won't like having to spend the night on the ship alone." Robin reflected. "But he should be fine. As for Mr. Swordsman, I'm sure as long as he hasn't managed to somehow wander off the island, he should be able to handle anything foolish enough to come up against him."

"Off the island?" Luffy's eyes widened, thoughts of dinner forgotten. "He can't go off on an adventure without me!"

"I was jesting, Captain." Robin smiled. "Even our Swordsman's direction sense isn't that bad. Probably."

"But, but…" Luffy still looked distressed. "What if Zoro didn't go left?"

"Left?" Chopper looked confused.

"Left is the right way to go when you get lost." Luffy informed him sagely. "But, knowing Zoro, he might have went right instead of the right way. Which is left."

Chopper's eyes swirled. "Right is left?"

"No, no, no. _Left_ is right. It's all very complicated." Luffy stated, he expression serious.

"Yes, well…" Machinton coughed into his hand. "shall we get going, then?"

Just then the newly repaired doors exploded inward, each sheared into four gleaming pieces. Luffy was knocked backwards when one of the iron triangles slammed into his middle and a second nearly took off Choppers head.

"What in the devil?" Machinton demanded, cowering on the floor as he stared into the dark hole that now opened directly to the outside.

Chopper whimpered in fright and clung to Robin's leg as a towering creature materialized, seeming a part of the darkness itself. It was black as night and had at least five arms, each brandishing sharpened steel that gleamed in the dull light of the DenDen Kari. The creature moved further into the tower, its movements fluid and catlike as it emitted bone-chillingly high-pitched noises.

Luffy pushed the heavy piece of door off of him and jumped to his feet. He stared at the creature with interest. He blinked and moved closer, not sure if his eyes were working as they should.

"Any scary monster should just stay back!" the creature howled. "To approach would result in no mercy from my deadly arsenal of stainless steel!"

Chopper pulled slowly away from Robin, who's shoulders were shaking strangely. "Usopp?"

The highest set of eyes on the 'creature' widened. "Chopper?" One of its heads swiveled to look around the room. "Robin! Luffy! Hey, we found them!" The first head addressed the one below it.

Usopp sighed in relieve and lowered Sanji's kitchen knives. "What did I tell you?" He asked proudly, earning a snort from the larger figure that he was currently riding piggyback on.

Luffy's face suddenly broke out in a blinding grin that took up fully half of his face.

"Zoro!"

LZNUSCR


End file.
